n- 2-C i LIBRA.RY OF THE Theo logical Semi nar y, PRINCETON, N. J.~ I \c\re. bOoV^ Case, ■ Slielf, Division Section Booh, N«, Jt^^f^^^^'' <\^ i *\ ^ . ^. >v,*^^5 >.. ^ - xr^.-^/\ . ..<\.;»*> ."^ .V ^ :-vW\^^^xiA • .^-.y. V-/'V . * - i- •■»"> < r^. 't T H E ' WIS D O M OF ANGELS CONCERNING THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE. TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN OF THE Hon. EMANUEL SWEDENBORG. Originally publifhed at Amsterdam, Anno 1^6^ t'". , ':"'■ ; ■,■■ ' ■■■, ■'. ' " , ., ' '- , J" ■■:— r-- ■'!■■' aj PRINTED AT BOSTON, BY ISAIAH THOMAS AND EBENEZER T.ANDREWS, Faust's Statue, No. 45, Newbury Street. ?^«/y, 1796. ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE. . / E. vii It may not be foreign to our prefent Pur- pofe, to take a View of fuch Opinions, Senti- ments, and Reafonings, that fo the Clearnefs, Truth, Excellency and Expediency of our Au- thor's Do£trine in the following wonderful Treatife may the better appear. And firft, in Regard to Things naturaL If we look into the Writings of the moft cele- brated Philofophers of modern Times, a very few Names excepted, w^e fhall find all the moll remarkable Phenomena of Nature refolved into mere viechanical Operations, as if Nature could of herfelf operate to produce Effedis. We fhall fee chemical Combinations, and the Compofitions of fubtle Fluids, appealed to, in Order to account for the feveral Biiths, Pro- ductions, and Changes obfervable in the ex- ternal World and its various Elements. We fhall fee Divine Mercies and Divine Judg- ments, as exhibited in temporal Nature,remov- ed far out of fight, being confounded with the uncertain and indeterminate Configurations of Particles of Matter, which are fuppofed capable of forming fuch Arrangements, Conjundions, and Dlsjundlions, one with another, as to pro- mote the Blefl^mg or Mifery of Man by an Agency feparate from that of the great Crea- tor. We (hall no longer be led to adore that invifible Working of the Omnipotent, who vni who " maketh the Storm a Calm^fo that the Waves thereof ai'e Jim ; who tunieth Rivers into a TVilderncfs^ and the Water-Springs into dry Ground ; a fruitful Land into Barre7niefs^ for the Wickednefs of them that dwell therein l^ Pfolm cvii. 29, 33, 34 ; but we fhall be led to tremble under the dreadful Apprehenfions of an inferior Agent not fabje£l to the Control of a merciful and all-wife God. In fhort, \<[^ fliall find a living Power of Adlion afcribed to Things, which in themfelves are dead^ whllft the real living Operator, who works unfeen in and by the feveral Subjects of the material World, is altogether forgotten, and his Divine Operation transferred to the Things operated upon, whereby fecond Caufes ufurp the Place of the Firf^ and what is merely /;/- Jlrumental is conceived to be p7^incipaL To inftance only in the Cafe of Vegetation, We fhall fee this fimple and manifeft Effedt of the Divine Agency in Nature involved in the ut- moft Intricacy and Perplexity, through the Darknefs and Subtlety of vain Reafoning and Science falfely fo called; whilft the Changes of Matter and corporeal Forms alone^ have been regarded as fufficient to explain the wonderful Phenomenon, and whilft philofophers have forgotten this plain eternal Truth, that it is God who " maketh the Grafs to grow for the Cattle^ PREFACE, PERHAPS there never was a Period in any Age of the World, which required a Vindication and Elucidation of the Divine Providence of the Lord, more than the pref- ent. Not that the Divine Providence is at this Day generally denied in Word^ for none except abfolute Atheifts do this ; but becaufe it is allowed in fo partial and confined a Man- ner and Meafure of Operation, as borders upon a Denial, and indeed when rightly confidered is a Denial. For if we allow a general Providence, and yet deny a particular one, or if we allow a particular one, and yet deny -xftngular one, that is, one extending to Things and Circum- ftances r^oSk. fingular and minute, what is this but denying a general Providence ? Every reafonable Man confeffes that the Dei- ty has created and that he preferves the World in general ; but does not this neceffarily imply that he has created, and that he preferves all Things in particular and mfingidar ? And ftiould any one aflert that Creation and Prefer- yation do not thus extend ta Things particular and VI P R E F ji C E. Siud Jtngular^ would not this be a pofitive De- nial of Creation and Prefervation in generaly fince Things in ^d-z/^n?/ cannot poffibly be fup- pofed to be or exift, but in and by Things ^^r- ticidar 2Mdifingular, In like Manner the Allowance of a general Providence ncceffarily implies the Allowance of a particular and moft fingular one, and to deny the latter is manifeftly to deny the for- mer. It is like aflerting that a human Body may in general exift, without its particular Mem.bers, Organs, Vifcera, &c. and the Shigu- lars thereof ; or that a State or Kingdom may in general exift, without the feveral particular Orders and Societies of Perfons who compofe it, together with the Individuals of each Or- der and Society. Now that a particular and fmgular Provi- dence is at this Day denied, may appear plain to every confiderate Perfon, who attends to the Opinions, Sentiments, and Reafonings, at prefent circulating in the World from the Books of the Learned, refpeding the Divine Operation^ which is the fame Thing as the Di- vine Providence^ more particularly in Refer- ence to the three grand Subjeds in this World of temporal Nature, on which it is exercifed or employed, viz. Things natural^ Things />o- litical^ and Things moral ox fpirituaL It P R E F A C Eh 1^ Cattle^ and green Herb for the ufs of Man l"" Pfalm civ. 14. cxlvii. 8 ; of Coniequencc% that all Vegetation, both generally and partic- ularly proceeds from a fpiritual and Divine Operation in Nature, and that all the Lawr» thereof are thus of fpiritual and Divine Ori- gin, and that material Forms are merely the Subjeds of fuch Operation and of fuch Laws, which have no Life, and can efFedl no Change in themfelves, but fo far as they are v/rought upon by a living Principle above themfelves, that is to fay, ivithin themfelves* The Cafe is the fame in Regard to political Things. What ferious Mind can behold, with- out a Mixture of Indignation and Concern, the Great Author of Nature forgotten, and ban^ ifhed as it were from his own Kingdoms, in the Syftems of modern Policy ? Who dcth not tremble to fee Fortune^ or human Pru- dence, or the Sagacity and Addrefs of theMin- ifterof the Day, more regarded and depended upon than the Wifdom and Power of Heaven, whilft the Counfels and Sentiments of weak and erring Statefmen are exalted in many In- ftances above Divine Intentions, Purpofes and Operations ? Yet how plain is it to perceive^ that this is more or Icfs the Cafe in modern Politics, wdierein little Account comparatively is made of that Divine overruling Providence^ B which E F A C E. which " changeth the Times and the Seafons^ which removeth Kings ^ and fetteth up Kings; which givetb Wijliom unto thcWife^ and KnowU edge to them that knowV nderjianding; which in- creafeth the Nations ^anddejiroyeth them ; which enlargeth the Nations^ and Jlraiteneth them a- gainf'Y)M\J'\\,^\. Jobxii. 23. Forletitbeafked, In what Politician's Creed at this Day ihall we find it written, that " the Kingdom is the Lord^Sy and He is the Goverfior among the Nations ; that the Battle alfo is the Lord^s ; and that he doeth accord i72g to his Willift the Army of Heaven ^and among the Inhaoitanis of the Earth ; and that therefore by theBleffuig oftheUpright the City is exalted ; hut it is overthrown by the Mouth of the Wicked f Pfalmxxii.28. I Sam. xvii. 47. Dan. iv. ^iS- P^ov. xi. 11. Or, in other Words, In what Politician's Creed at this Day fhall we find it afferted, and maintained as a ruling and practical Principle, that the Profperity of Em- pires depends /c*/^/^ on the Bleffing of Heaven, and that of Confequence the o?ily fure and cer- tain Way for any People to become profperous, whether generally or individually, is to fecure fuch Blefling, by fulfilling faithfully all the heavenly Laws of ftricl Juftice and Judgment, Order and Uprightnefs ? Rather, is it not an efiablifhed Article of modern political Faith, that accumulated Wealth, extenfive Dominion, numerous Ml tiumerous and powerful Fleets and Armies, a flourifliing Commerce, an increafmg Popula-^ tion, Refinement in Tafte and Manners, large and magnificent Cities, Splendor and Parade of public Shows, a fuperior Subtlety and Sagacity in private Councils and public Negociations, are the great conftituent Principles of national Profperity ? That a People in fhort may be ^reat without being ^oo^, happy without being virtuous^ fecure without the Protection of Heaven, powerful without its Power, and "JDift without confulting and being guided by the Fountain of Wifdom. Laftly, in Regard to moral or Jpiritual Things ; the ferious and intelligent Mind can- not but greatly lament to difcern, how the Divine Providence and Operation is herein ei- ther totally rejedted, or grofsly mifunderftood, by the Learned of the prefent Day. Thus fom.e would eftabliili a Morality grounded in mere himan Exertions^ without any Regard to Divine Aid, making Virtue thus the Off- fpring cf Earth, inftead of deducing its pedigree from Heaveii, whence alone it is to be derived, according to the Tenor of thefe Words of the eternal Truth, ''Without ME j/^ can do Nothing ^ John xv. 5. And again, "^ Man can receive Nothing, except it be given him from Heaven^' John iii. 27. Others again allow Xil PREFACE, allow of an occafwnal Aid from above, in Order to aiTift Man on great and extraordinary Emer-r gencies, but deny liim the Comfort of fuch fu-r pernatm'al Influence on common Occafions, and the ordinary Concerns of Life ; not confider^ ing that the " Very Hairs of the Head are all numbered^'' Matt. x. 30 ; and this both in a natural and alfo in a fpiritual Senfe ; and that of Confequence tYtrj fmallejl Circumflance of Man's Life, whether relating to Things tempo- ral or Things eternal, corporeal or mental, are alike under the Rule and Direftion of an all- wife Providence, and regulated thereby, Whilft fom^e, by an Error of Underftanding ilill more deplorable and dangerous, acknowl- edge indeed a Divine Aid continually attendant upon Man,and afcribe to its Operation all fpir- itual and moral Effeds wrought in Man, but then they allow cf no Limitations to fuch Ope- ration, as grounded in Wifdom and Order ; they make the Divine Agency irrefiftibk and nncontrollahle^ afiigning to it an ahfoliite Power independent of the Free-will of Man, that is, of Man's Co-operation ; not perceiving how the Deity muft needs be fubjefl: to his own Laws ; and that his Operation therefore muftof Necef- fity be limited by that Order which Himfelf hath appointed ; and that it is an eternal Law pf this Order that Mar. fhould co-operp.te with P R E F ^ C r. XIU his Creator in the Work of Regeneration and Salvation, otherwife he would be a mere ani- mal Machine, and not a Man; and that of Con- fequence, for the Deity to force Man's Free- will, and over-rule the Determinations thereof by an arbitraryInfluence,wouldbeto aftagainll his own Order, that is, againft Himfelf, which is a Thing impoffible. Hence fo many Advo- cates at this Day for the (hocking and pernicious Doftrines oiPredcJlination^ ElcBion^ irrcfiftihh Grace ^^c. l^c, and hence an almoft total Dark- nefs refpeding the true Nature and Manner of Divine Agency as employed in the Creation, Reftoration, and Purification of Man's moral and fpiritual Mind, and as exercifed uniform- ly according to the Determinations of Man's Free-will, and in perfedl agreement therewith., If the above Opinions, Sentiments, and Rea- fonings refpeding the Divine Providence and Operation, in Regard to Things natural apolitic- al^ and moral^ be well attended to, and vie\\^d in a clear intellectual Light, fo that the Fallacy thereof may be dcteded, and their mifchiev- ous Tendencies noted, in eftablilhing a falfc Philofophy^ a dcjiru5iivc Policy^ and a viiJJahcn and ill-grounded Morality^ the ferious Reader will fee abundant Caufe to be thankful, tliat it hath pleafed the Lord, of his Divine Prov- idence, in the follov/ing wonderful Treatife, to XIV P JR. jB F J C Ei to make a Difcovery to Man at this Day of the Laws of his own Operation, to the Remo- val of Error in a Matter of fuch infinite Mo- ment, and to the eftablifhing the human Mind in all the Comforts and Certainty of Truth. He will rejoice alfo to fee it afTerted, and pro- ved by fuch a Weight of fatisfa(51:ory Evi- dence, that Heaven and Earth are not fo far afunder as fome Men would endeavour to perfuade themfelves, but that this vifible World of Nature, notwithftanding what cer- tain Philofophers^ Politicians^ and Moralijis may think to the contrary, is in clofe Con- nexion with the invifible World of Spirit ; and that all EfFeds produced in the former have their Origin in Caufes which exift in the latter, and are ruled and regulated thereby, being, properly fpeaking, Nothing but out^ ward Manifeftations of what exifts inwardly in another State, Sphere, and Form ; fo that all Principles, Beings, and Subjeds, whether fpir- itual or natural, conftitute together a Grand One,* like Soul and Body, whereof the Dei- ty * In conceiving of this Grand One, the reader is earneftly cau- tioned againft falling into the dangerous Error of Spinoza and his Followers, who, feeing that all Things mull needs have Connexion with the Deity, as the fole Fountain of all Life, aflerted this one- nefs of all Things in the Deity, but then not diftinguifhing aright between the Creature and Creator, between the Life of the former as a received Life, and thereby capable of Perverfion, and the Life of the latter as feif-originating, and thereby altogether pur^ from Evil P R E :P A C E. XV ty IS the central and only Source of Life, and thereby the great Operator, Regulator, Pro- vider, and Prefer ver, of and in the Whole. And if he be a Stranger to the other Wri- tings of our ' enlightened Author, having through Prejudice of public Opinion, or other external Caufes, been led to judge unfavour- ably concerning them, he Vvdll not fail to cor- red: fuch Judgment, and to feek a more inti- mate Acquaintance with the Doctrines con- tained in thofe Writings, whilft he reads in the following Pages fuch a Vindication and Eluci- dation of the Ways of the Divine Operation, as perhaps was never heretofore difcovered to Man ; and efpecially whilft he obferves that the whole is grounded in the infallible Word of God, and confirmed by Reafonings of a found Philofophy, as well as by Experience of a fupernatural and extraordinary Kind ; the whole fuggefting to the ferious Mind the grandeft and moft juft Ideas of the Divine Na- ture, Attributes, Intentions, Purpofes, and Pro- vifions in Regard to Man, and calculated in ail Refpedts to lead Man to a deep Veneration of Evil of Pen/erfion, they thus made the blelTed and holy Creator in Faft the Author of EviL Againft this dreadful and pernicious Dodtrine, the Difcoveries and Reafonings contained in the follow- ing Treatife, and in that on the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdojn, refpeding the feveral Degrees of Life, and the Origin of Evil, or perverted Life, will be found perhaps to be the moft powerfiii Aa- tidotes ever made known unto Man. XVI P R E F A C Et. of the great Author of his Being, and a Fulfil ment of the pure Laws of his Order and King- dom, to which all Things tend, and for which they were created, by perfcdmg HoUnefs in his chafte Fear and Love* Neither, if he be one of a fmcere and hum- ble Mind, who reads not in the Spirit of idle Curicfity, or of critical Examination, or of nice and fupercilious Judgment, but to attain folid Wifdom, for the right PvCgulation of his Life, will he be offended at meeting in the following Treatife with fome Things,which may feem to contradi6b his own favourite Opinions, and ap- pear at firft Sight obfcure and perplexing, inaf- much as his Humility and Sincerity will teach him, that Nothing doth i?t ge?ieral fo contra- dict Man's natural and favourite Opinions as Truths and that all the grandeft and pureft Truths of Heaven muft needs feem obfcure and perplexing to the natural Man at firft View, until his intellectual Eye becomes ac- cuftomed to the Light, and can thereby behold it with Satisfaction. He will not therefore hajlily reject what he does not immediately com- prehend, or what at firft Sight dazzles and there- by darkens his Sight, but waiting patiently for the Light toftrengthenhis intellectual Faculties and thereby to clear itfelf, and from the Beauty ofwhat he ^^^i'Underftand^ being led to think favourably PREFACE. XVil favourably of what at pref^nt he does r.ot^ and to hope that he may underftand it at a future time, and upon a further Reading and Confid- eration, he will be cautious of paffing rafh Ccnfure, and will rather judge not at all than judge unrighteous Judgment. It muft be confefled there are feme Partic- ulars in the following Treatiie, which will of Neceflity appear ftrange at firft Perufal to the Reader who has not been prepared for their Reception by a previous Acquaintance with the Author's other Writings, and which he is therefore advifed to pals over for the prefent, until he has Leifure to acquire fuch Acquaint- ance. But every candid and intelligent Per- fon will be forced to acknowledge, that there are other Particulars relative to the myPierious Operation^f the Divine Providence elucidat- ed,which»€y their Plainnefs mufl: convince, and by their Importance muft greatly intereft eve- ry human Mind. Such are the Difcoveries refpe<2:ing the Origin^ the Ptrviijfion^ and alio the RemiJfio7i^ or Removal oiY^\ A ; the Coniid- eration of which Subjeds hath fo long involved the learned World in Perplexity and Darknefs.: And had the Author been filent on all other Points, thefe Difcoveries alone are fufficient to {lamp an eternal Value on the following Trea- C tii'e xviii PREFACE. tlfe in the Minds of the well-difpofed, by lead^ ing them to a more awful Adoration of the fe- cret Wifdom and deep Councils of the merci« ful God in Refped to his infirm and fmful Creatures. The Reader who is acquainted with the other various and inftrudive Writings of our ^nhghtened Author, and who has profited by them through a faithful Application of the bright evangelical Truths contained therein, to the Reformation and Purification of his Life, will be delighted to fee thofe Truths further extended and confirmed, and their Harmony preferved and heightened, in the following Treatife. He will be led hereby to proftrate kimfelf in more devout Submiffion and Thank- fulnefs before the God of unchangeable Love and Yv'^ifdom, who hath been pleafed in thefe latter Days to vindicate the Ways of his Deal- ings with his Children in all Ages, and amongft all People, Nations and Languages, and to vifit them with fiich a clear and cheering Light of his eternal Truth for Comfort and Diredion. He will apply this Light to the immediate Regulation of his Life, in the exterminating all thofe evil Principles and falfe Perfuafions, for which it was given, that fo he may become a renewed Image and Likenefs of the great Crea* tor E, xrx lot and Redeemer, according to the Order of his heavenly Kingdom, for the eternal Inherit^ ance of which he and every Child of Adam is predeftinated, and to which, therefore, he may moft affuredly attain, if it be not his own Fault. He will be careful either of fufFoca- ting, extinguiihing, or perverting the heav- enly Dodrine with which he has been fa- voured, whether by falfe and partial Interpre- tation, or by impure Mixture with pre-con- ceived Opinions, or, v/hat is moft to be dread- ed, by refting in a mere Illumination of his Underftanding, unattended with a Conformity of the Will and Life,through an entire Submif- fion of all his vital Principles to the Guidance ^nd Diredion of the heavenly Light And whilft he is thus cautious to preferve the Truth pure and undefiled in his own Mind and Life, and to render it fruitful in all Love and Charity, and the good Works and ufeful Purpofes thgnce flowing, he will be greatly %ealous to impart it, and make it known unto his Brethren ; but then his Zeal herein will be tempered with the utmoft Meeknefs, Modera- tion and Difcretion ; it will be free from all Violence, and that falfe and dangerous Fire of Enthufiafm and Fanaticifm, whofe infernal Ground and mifchievous Tendencies are fo frequently B frequently pointed cut in the Doftrine which he has received and is defirous to recommend. He will remember his Lord's Injundions to his Difciples, to call the Net on *^ ibe right Side ^ofthe Shipl^ John xxi. 6 ; and not to " cqjl their Pearls before Swine^' Matt. vii. 6 ; and he will confider himielf as ftridly bound to follow thefe Injunftions, by being cautious ox\ the one Hand, how he fpeaks, and on the oth- er to "jDhoin he fpeaks, in Commendation of the Truths which he himfelf has imbibed. Thus he will be taught to go forth amongft hi§ Brethren in a Spirit of the utmoll Charity and Friidence^ tolerating their imperfedl: States of Life, not endeavouring to force but to draw^ cherifhing the heavenly Principle of Good in all, and having more Refpedat all Times there- to, than to any Form or Mode oi fpecidative Opinions feparate therefrom, howfoever excel- lent and heavenly in itfelf : And this he wall do under a full Perfuafion, that all will be judged hereafter, and accepted or rejected, not according to the Light they have received, but according to their Faithfuhiefs and Obedience thereto. Thus may he hope to catch many with the evangelical Net of the Lord's new Kingdom, whilft he preffes upon them a Re- ception of tlie Truth out of a pyre Regard to their PREFACE. XXI their eternal Good, and convinces them of the Power and Profitablenefs thereof, by the EiFea it has had on his own Life and Converfation, in making him a real Chriftian, and a true Child of God. That all who read this, and the other excel- lent Writings of our Author, may be led to pro- fit by them in their own Lives, and thereby to recommend them to others, to the prepa- ring a Way for the Lord's glorious Appearing according to the Predidtions of his Prophets, and helping forward the Defcent of the Holy City the New Jerufalem^ that fo '' the Taberna- cle of God may he with Men^ and he tnay dwell with them^ and they may be his People^ and he may be their God^' Rev. xxi. 3, is the fmcere Prayer of the Editors. A M E R CONTENTS. ^ HAT the Divine Providence is the Govern- ^ ment of the Divine Love and the Divine Wif dom of the Lord - - i I. That the Univerfe with all and every Thing therein was created out of the Divine Love by the Divine Wifdom II. That the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom proceed as One from the Lord 4 III. That this One is in a certain Image in every created Thing - . ^^ IV. That it is of the Divine Providence, that every created Thing in the Whole and in Part fliould be fuch a One, and if it is not, that it fliould be made fo - - n V. That the Good of Love is not Good, except fo far as it is united with the True of Wifdom ; and that the True of Wifdom is not True, except fo far as it is united to the Good of Love . - . jQ VI. That the Good of Love, not united to the true of Wifdom, is not Good in itielf, but that it is apparent Good ; and that the True of Wifdom, not united to the Good of Love, is not True in itfelf, but that it is apparent . Truth . . . j^ Vll. That XXIV C O N T E N T S. Ka. VIL That the Lord doth not fufFer any Thing to be divided ; wherefore it mud either be in Good, and at the fame Time in Truth, or in Evil, and at the fame Time in the Faire - - ^ - i6 VIII. That that which is in Good and at the fame Time in Truth, is Something ; and that that which is in Evil and at the fame Time in the Falfe, is not any Thing - 19 IX. That the Divine Providence of the Lord caufeth Evil and its attendant Falfe to ferve for Equihbrium, Relation, and Purification, and thereby for the Conjundlion of Good and Truth in others - - 2X That the Divine Providence of the Lord hath for its End a Heaven out of the human Race 2J I. That Heaven is Conjundion with the Lord ... 28 II. That Man by Creation is fuch, that he can be nearer and nearer conjoined to the Lord - - 32 III. That Man, in Proportion as he is more nearly conjoined to the Lord, in the fame Pro- portion becometh wifer - 34 IV. That Man, in Proportion as he is more nearly conjoined to the Lord, in the fame. Pro- portion becom.eth happier - 37 V. That Man, in Proportion as he is more nearly conjoined to the Lord, in the fame Proportion appeareth to himfelf more diftindly to be his own, and perceiveth more evidently that he is the Lord's . . 43 That CONTENTS. x.tv That the Dklne FxovIde?ice of the Lord^ in all which it doeth^ hath Refpefi to vjhat is Infiiiiie and Eternal - - 4^ I. That what is Infinite in itfelf and Eternal in itfelf, is the fame with what is Divine 48 IL That what is Infinite and Eternal in Itfelf, cannot but have Refpe6t to what is Infi- nite from itfelf in Finites - - 5^ III. That the Divine Providence, in all that it doeth, hath Refpedl to what is Infinite and Eternal from itfelf, efpecially in faving the human Race . . . ^^ IV. That an Ima2:e of w^hat is Infinite and Eternal is extant in the Angelic Heaven 60 V. That to refpeQ: what is Infinite and Eternal in forming the Angelic Heaven, that it may be before the Lord as one Man, which is his Image, is the hti?num of the Divine Providence - - -^64 That the Laws of the Divine Providence are what are unknown to Men, - 7® That it is a Law of the Divine Providence^ that Man fhould a5l from Liberty according to Reafon - - - , 71 I. That Man hath Reafon and Free-will, or Rationality and Liberty ; and that thefe two Faculties are from the Lord in Man 73 II. That whatfoever a Man doeth from Lib- erty, whether it be of Reafon or not of Reafon, provided it be according to his Reafon, appear- eth to him as his own - - 74 D III. That XXVI CONTENTS. No, III. That whatfoever Man docth from Lib- erty according to his Thought, is appropriated to him as his own, and remaineth •- 7S IV. That Man by thefe two Faculties is re- formed and regenerated of the Lord ; and that without them he cannot be reformed and re- generated - - - Sz V. That Man, by Means of thefe two Fac- ulties, can be fo far reformed and regenerated, as he can by them be led to acknowledge, that all the Truth, and ail the Good, which he thinketh and doeth, is from the Lord, and not from himfelf - - - 87 VI. That the Conjunclion of the Lord with Man, and the reciprocal Conjundion of Man with the Lord, is effeded by thefe two Facul- ties - - - 90 VIL That the Lord preferveth thefe two Faculties in Man inviolable, and as facred in every ProgrefTion of his Divine Providence 96 VIII. That therefore it is of the Divine Prov- idence, that Man ihould ad from Liberty ac- cording to Reafon - - . 97 That it is a Laio of the Divine Providence^- that Man., as from himfelf fhould remove Evils as Sins in the external Man^ and that thus^ a?id 710 otherivife^ the Lord can remove Evils in the internal Man^ and then at the fame Time in the External - - 100 I. That every Man hath an External and an Internal Principle of Thought - 103 11. That CONTENTS. :cxvli No. II. That the External Principle of the Thought of Man 'is in itfelf fuch as his Internal is - - - io6 III. That the Internal cannot be purified from the Concupifcences of Evil, fo long as Evils in the external Man are not removed, becaufe they obRrud - - in IV. That evils in the external Man cannot be removed by the Lord but by Means of Man - - 114 V. That therefore Man ought to remove Evils from the external Man as from himfelf i j8 VI. That the Lord then purifieth Man from Concupifcences in the internal Man, and from Evils themfelves in the external - 119 VII. That it is the Continuum [continual En- deavour] of the Divine Providence of the Lord, to join Man to himfelf, and himfelf to Man, that he may be able to give him the Felicities of eternal Life ; which cannot be done, but in Proportion as Evils with their Concupifcences are removed - - - 123 That it is a Law of the Divine Providence^ that Man be not forced by external Means to think and will^ andfo to believe and love the Thirigs which are of Religion ; but that Man lead, and fometimes force himfelf to it - ,129 I. That no one is reformed by Miracles and Signs, becaufe they force - 130 IL That no one is reformed by Vifions, and by converfmg with the Dead, becaufe they force . - 134 III. That xxviii CONTENTS.. No* III. That no one is reformed by Threats and PuniflimentSj becaufe they force 136 IV. That no one is reformed in States of Non-Rationality, and of Non-Liberty 138 V. That it is not contrary to Rationality and Liberty for Man to force himfelf - 145 Vr. That the external Man is to be reform- ed by the internal, and not vice verfa 15Q That it is a Law of the Divine Providence^ that Man be led and taught of the Lord out of Heaven by the Word, and by Do^rine and Preachings derived from the Wordy and this in all Appearance as from himfelf - 154 L That Man is led and taught of the Lord only - - - 155 II. That Man is led and taught of the Lord alone, through the Angelic Heaven, and out of it - - - 163 III. That Man is led of the Lord by Influx, and taught by Illumination - 165 IV. 1 hat Man is taught of the Lord by the Word, and by Dodrine and Preachings derived from the Word, and thus immediately from him alone - - r 171 V. That Man in Externals is led and taught of the Lord to all Appearance as of himfelf 1 74 That it is a Law of the Divine Provideyice^ that Man fhould not perceive and feel ayiy Thing of the Operation of the Divine Providence ^ hut yet Jhould know and acknowledge it * 1 T^ I. That CONTENTS. xntL I. That if Man perceived and felt the Ope- ration of the Divine Providence, he would not ad from Liberty according to Reafon, neither would any Thing appear to him as from him- felf, or as his own. The fame would be the Cafe if Man foreknew Events - 176 II. That if Man manifeflly faw the Divine providence, he would interfere with the Order and Tenor of its Progrellion, and would per- vert and deftroy it - - i8o III. That if Man manifeflly faw the Divine Providence, he would either deny God or make himfelf a God - - iSz IV. That it is given Man to fee the Divine Providence on the Back and not in the Face, alfo in a fpiritual State, and not in his natural State - - - 187 That felf-derlved Prudence is Nothings and only appears as if it was^ and alfo ought fo to ap- pear ; hut that the Divine Providence from Things the moft particular is univerfal 191 I. That all the Thoughts of a Man are from the Affections of his Life's Love, and that there do not, neither can exift, any Thoughts at all, ' without them - - 193 IL That the AfFeaions of a Man's Life's Love are known to the Lord only - 197 III. That the Affections of the Life's Love of Man are led of the Lord through his Di- vine Providence, and then at the fame Time his Thoughts, from which human Prudence is derived - - - 200 IV. That XKx CONTENTS. No. IV. That the Lord by his Divine Providence compofcth the AfFedions into one Form, which is Human . - - 201 V. That Heaven and Hell are in fuch a Form - - - 204 VI. That they who have acknowledged Na- ture alone, and human Prudence alone, confti- lute Hell, and they who have acknowledged God and his Divine Providence, conflitute Heaven - - - 205 VII. That all thefe Things cannot be done unlefs it appears to Man that he thinketh and difpofeth from himfelf - >• 210 T/jat the Divine Providence hath Refped to Things eternal^ and no otherwife to temporary Things^ than fo far as they accord with Things eternal ' - - 214 ]. That temporary Things relate to Digni- ties and Riches, therefore to Honours and Emoluments in this World - 215 II. That Things eternal relate to fpiritual Honours and Riches, which are of Love and Wifdom in Heaven - - 216 III. That Things temporary and eternal are feparated by Man, but that they are joined by the Lord - - - 218 IV. That the Conjundion of Things tem- porary and eternal in Man is the Divine Provi- dence of the Lord r. - 220 That 22 CONT ENTS. xxt'i No. That Man is 7iot let more interiorly into the Truths of Faith and the Goods of Charity^ than fo far as he can he kept in them to the End cf Life - - - 221 I. That Man may be let into the Wifdom of fpiritual Things, and alfo into the Love of them, and yet not be reformed II. That if Man afterwards recedes from them, and runs counter to them, he profaneth what is holy . . - 226 III. That there are feveral Kinds of Profa- nations of what is holy, and that this Kind is the word of all - - - 229 IV. That therefore the Lord doth not let Man more interiorly into the Truths of Wif- dom, and at the fame Time into the Goods of Love, than fo far as he can be kept in them to the End of Life - - 2 32 That the Laws of Permijion alfo are Laws cf the Divine Providence - 234 I. Why it was permitted, that Adam the wifeft of Men, and his Wife fufFered themfelves to be feduced by the Serpent, without God's preventing it by his Divine Providence 241 II. That their firft-born Son, Cain, flew his Brother Abel, and God did not prevent it by fpeaking to him, but only curfed him after the Aa - - - 242 III. That the Ifraelitifh Nation ' worfiiipped a golden Calf in the Wildernefs, and acknowl- edged it as the God which brought them out of the Land of Egypt j when nevcrthelefs Je- hovah xxxu CONTENTS. ^0, hovah faw this from Mount Sinai not far ofFj and did not prevent it - - 243 IV. That David numbered the People, and therefore a Pellilence was fent among them, whereby fo many Thoufands of Men perifhed, and that God did not fend the Prophet Gad to him before the Ad, but after it, to denounce . Puniihment ... 24^ V. That Solomon was permitted to eftablifli idolatrous Woriliip - - 245 VI. That it Vv^as permitted many Kings after Solomon to profane the Temple and holy Things of the Church - - 246 VII. That that Nation was permitted to crucify the Lord - - 247 T/jat ever J V/or/hipper of hlmfelf ajid of Nafm'e confiriiieth b'lmfef aga'ui/i the Divine Frovl- daice^ I. When he feeth fo many impious Perfons In the World, T^^Xidi fo many Impieties commit- ted by them, and at the fame Time that fomc glory in them, and yet that they are not follow- ed by any Punifhment from God - 249- II. When he feeth the Impious promoted to Honours, and made Nobles and Primates ; moreover that they abound in Wealth, and live fumptuoufly and magnificently, whilfl the Worfhippers of God are in Contempt and Poverty - . - 250 III. When he thinketh how Wars are per- mitted, and thereby fo many Men flaughtered, and their Poffeffions plundered - 25 r IV. When C O N T 3 V N T S. xxxiii IV. When he thinketh that Vidories de- clare on the Side of Prudence, and fometimes not on the Side of Juilice, &c. - 252 Tbat the merely natural Man conjlrmeth hlmfcJf againjl the Divine Providence^ I. When he confiders the Reli<^ions of va- nous Nations, that there are fome who are to- tally ignorant of a God, fome who, worflilp the Sun, the Moon, Idols, &c. » - 254 II. When he confiders the Mahometan Re- ligion, how it is received by fo many Empires and Kingdoms - - 2 cr HI. When he fees that the Chriflian Relir- ion IS received only in the fmalleft ()uarter of the habitable Globe, called Europe, and there divided - - » n^s IVi Becaufe in many Kingdoms, where the Chriflian Religion is received, there are fome who claim to themfelves Divine Power, and who invoke dead Men - - 257 V. Becaufe among thofe w^ho profefs the Chriflian Religion, there are fome who place Salvation in certain Words which they are to think and fpeak, and not in any Good they are to do VI. Becaufe there have been, and flill are fo many Herefies in the Chriflian World, Tuch as thofe of the Quakers, Moravians, Anabap- tifls, and others - - . 2co VIL Becaufe Judaifm flill continues 26p E That 25S xxxlv CONTENT S. Iso^ That a Doubt may be inferred agalnjl the Divine Providence - - - - 261 I. By Reafon that the whole Chrifliaii World worfhippeth God under three Perfons, which IS three Gods ; and that heretofore they did not know that God is One in Perfon and in Effence, and that that God is the Lord 262 II. Becaufe heretofore it was not known, that ia every Particular of the Word there is a fpiritual Senfe, and that its Holinefs confifts therein . - - . 264 III. Becaufe heretofore it was not known that the very EiTence of the Chriftian Religion confiils in fhunning Evils as Sins - 265 , IV. Becaufe it was not known heretofore, that Man liveth after Death ; and this was not difcovered till now - « 274- That Evils are permitted for a certain Endy which End is Salvation - - 275 I. That every Man is in Evil, and that he is to be withdraw^n from Evil that he may be reformed ... 277 II. That Evils cannot be removed except they appear - - * . 278 III. That in Proportion as Evils are remov- ed, in the fame Proportion they are remitted 279 IV. That thus the permiflion of Evil is for a certain End, which End is Salvation 281 That the Divine Providence is alike with the Wicked as ivith the Good - - 285 L That CONTENTS. XXXV No. I. That the Divine Providence, not only vidth the Good, but alfo with the Wicked, is univerfal in Things the moft particular, and that flill it is not in their Evils - 287 II. That the Wicked continually lead them- felves into Evils, but that the Lord continually leadeth them out of Evils - - ^g^ III. That tlie Wicked cannot be entirely led out of Evils by the Lord, and led into Goods, fo long as they think felf-derived Intelligence is All, and the Divine Providence Nothing 297 IV. That the Lord governs Hell by Oppo- fltes, and that the Wicked who are in the World he governs in Hell as to Interiors, but jiot as to Exteriors ^ - 299 That the Dhine Providence iiehher appropriates Evil nor Good io any one^ hut that felf-deri- ved Prudence appropriates both - 308 I. What felf-derived Prudence is, and what ahat Prudence which is not felf-derived 310 II. That Man from felf-derived Prudence perfuades himfelf, and confirms himfelf in the Idea, that every Good and Truth is in himfelf, and from himfelf, and in like Manner every evil and falfe Principle - - 312 III. That every Thing of which a Man is perfuaded, and in which he is confirmed, re- mains as if proper to him, or becomes his Pro- prium or Property - - - 317 IV^ That if Man would believe, what is the Truth, that every Thing good and true is from the Lord, and every Thing evil and falfe is from ^zxvl C O N T E N T S. Ko, from Hell, he v/ould neither appropriate Good to himfelf, and make it meritorious, nor would he appropriate Evil to himfelf, and mak^ him- felf guilty of it - . - 320 T/jat every Mart may be reformedy and that there is no fuch Thing as Predejiination 323 I. That the End of Creation is a Heaven out of the human Race - - 323 II. That thence it is of the Divine Provi- dence, that every Man is capable of being faved, and that they are faved who acknowl- edge a God and lead a good Life - 325 III. Tli^t it is a Man's own Faulty if he is not faved - ^ ^ IV. That thus all are predefined to Heav- en, and none to Hell - ^ 329 3^7 Thai the Lord cannot aSl agalnjl the Lazvs of the Divine Providence , hecaufe to a6l againjl them^ would he to ad againjl his Divine Love end his Divine Wifdom^ confeqitently againjl kmjelf , - . 33 < » I. That the Operation of the Divine Provi- dence, in faving Man, begins at his Birth, and continues to the End of his Life, and after- wards to Eternity - - 332 IL Th'at the Operation of the Divine Provi- dence is continually effected by Means out of pure Mercy - - - nnr in. That momentaneous Salvation from im- mediate Mercy is not poflible - 33 B ANGELIC ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING THE DIVINE PROVIDENCE. J'hat the Divine Providence is the Gov^ ernment of the Divine Love and the Divine Wijdom oj the Lord. I. TN Order that It may be underftood what the j|_ Divine Providence is, and that it is the Gov- ernment of the Divine Love and the Divine Wif- dom of the Lord, it is of Importance that what hath been before faid and fhewn concerning the Di- vine Love and the Divine Wifdom, in the Treatife on that Subjed, fliould be known, which is as follows. That in the Lord the Divine Love is of the Divine. "Wifdom, and the Divine Wifdom is of the Divine Love, n. 34 to 39. That the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom cannot but be and exifl in other Things created from itfelf, n. 47 to 51. That all Things in the Univerfe were created from the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom, n. 52, ^i^ 151 to 156. That all Things in the Univerfe are Recipients of the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom, n. 54 to 60. That the Lord appears ^8 Angelic Wisdom concerning o appears before the Angels as a Sun, and that the Heat thence proceeding k Love, and the Light thence proceeding is Wifdom, n. 83 to 88, 89 to 92, 93 to 98, 296 to 301. That the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom, which proceed from the Lord, make one, n. 99 to 102. That the Lord from Eternity, who is Jehovah, created the Univerfe and all Things therein from Himfelf, and not from Nothing, n. 282 to 284, 290 to 295. Thefe arc the Contents of the Treatife, which is called The Wifdom of the Angels concerning The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. 2. From thefe Particulars, compared with what was defcribed concerning Creation in that Treatife, it may indeed appear, that it is the Government of the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom of the Lord which is called the Divine Providence ; but forafmucli as Creation was there treated of, and not the Prefervation of the State of Things after Creation, which lad is the Government of the Lord, therefore we ihall now treat on this Subjefl: ; be- ginning this firfl Article with confidering the Pref- ervation of the Union of the Divine Love and the JDivine W^ifdom, or of the Divine Good and the Divine Truth, in the Things which are created ; of which we Ihall fpeak in this Order : L That the U- niverfe, with all and every Thing therein, was cre- Pxted out of the Divine Love by the Divine Wifdom. IL That the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom proceed as One from the Lord. III. That this One is in a certain Image in every created Thing. IV. That it is of the Divine Providence, that every crea- ted Thing in the Whole and in Part fhould be fuch a One ; The Divine Providence. 39 a One ; and if it is not, that it fnoiild be made fo* V. That the Good of Love is not Good, except fo far as it is united to the True of Wifdom ; and that the True of Wifdom is not True, except fo far ao it is united to the Good of Love. VL That the Good of Love not united to the True of Wifdom is not Good in itfelf, but that it is apparent Good, and that the True of Wifdom not united to the Good of Love is not True in itfelf, but that it is apparent Truth. VIL That the Lord doth not fuffer any Thing to be divided, wherefore it mud either be in Good and at the fame Time in Truth, or it muff be • in Evil and at the fame Time in the Faife. VIIL That that which is in Good and at the fame Time in Truth, is Something, and that that which is in Evil and at the fame Time in the Faife, is not any Thing. IX. That the Divine Providence of the Lord caufeth Evil and its attendant Faife to ferve for Equihbrium, Relation, and Purification, and thereby for the Conjundion of Good and Truth in others. 3. L That the Univerfe^ with all and enjcry Thing therein, was created out of the Divine Love by the Di" vine Wifdom. That the Lord from Eternity, who, is Jehovah, is as to his Effence Divine Love and Divine Wifdom ; and that He out of Himfelf cre- ated the Univerfe and all Things therein, was fhewn In the Treatife concerning The Divine Love and THE Divine Wisdom ; thence it followeth, that the Univerfe with all and every Thing therein was created out of the Divine Love by the Divine Wif- dom. In the above-mentioned Treadfe it was alfo ihewn, that Love without Wifdom cannot do anv Thing, 40 Angelic Wisdom concerning Thing, neither Wifdom without Love ; for Love5 without Wifdom, or the Will without the Under- (landing, cannot think any Thing, yea it cannot fee and be fenfible of any Thing, nor difcourfe on any Thing ; wherefore neither can Love without Wif- dom, or the Will without the Underftanding, do any Thing ; in like Manner Wifdom without Love, or the Underftanding without the Will, cannot think any Thing, neither can it fee and be fenfible of any Thing, yea neither can it difcourfe on any Thing ; wherefore Wifdom without Love, or the Under- ftanding vathout the Will, cannot do any Thing ; for if Love is taken away herein, there is no longer any Volition [aliquod ^eili]^ confequently there is not any Aciion '[aliquod agere~\. And as this is the Cafe with Man when he doeth any Thing, much more was it the Cafe with God, who is Love itfelf and Wifdom itfelf, v/hen ke created and made the Univerfe and all Things therein. That the Uni- verfe, with all and every Thing appertaining to it, was created out of the Divine Love by the Divine Wif- dom, may be confirmed from all Things which are Objeds of Sight in the World : Take only any Objed in particular, and examine it with fome De- gree of Wifdom, and you will be confirmed ; take a Tree, or its Seed, or its Fruit, or its Flower, or its Leaf, and collect Wifdom in yourfelf, and view it with a good Microfcope, and you will fee wonder- ful Things, whild the Interiors, which you do not fee, are dill more wonderful : Examine the Order in its Succeifion, whereby a Tree from the Seed groweth till it produceth new Seed ; and confider whether there be not in all the Succeifion a contin- ual The Divine Phovidence. 41 aial Endeavour to propagate itfelf further, for the Uhimate to which it tends is Seed, in which it;> prohfic [Principle] exiils anew. If then you will alfo think fpiritually, (and this you can do if you will) will you not fee Wifdom herein ? efpecially if you will fo far think fpiritually, that this Effed is not from the Seed^ nor from the Sun of this World, which is pure Fire, but that it is in the Seed from God the Creator who hath infinite Wifdom ; and m it not only then when it was created, but alfo continually afterwards ; inafmuch as Support is per- petual Creation, as Subfidence is perpetual Exift- ence: For as the Work ceafeth, if you take away Will from Adion, or if you take away Thought from Speech, Speech ceafeth ; or if you take away Endeavour from Motion, Motion ceafeth; fo, in like Manner, if you take away the Caufe from the EfFeia, the EfFe«Si: perifneth, and fo on. Every crea- ted Subftance indeed is endued with Power [F/j-], but Power doth not do any Thing from itfelf, but from him who hath endued it with l^ower. Exam- ine alfo any other Subjed on Earth, as a Silk- Worm ^ a Bee, or any other Infed, and view it firft natural- ly, and afterwards rationally, and lalLly fpiritually, and then if you can think elevatedly, you will be aftoniflied at every Thing ; and if you admit Wif- dom to fpeak in you, you will fay in your Aftonifh- ment, Who doth not fee a Divine Principle in thefe Things ? They are all Effeds of the Divine Wif- dom. Still more if you regard the Ufes of all Things which are created, how they fucceed in their Order even unto Man, and from Man to the Crea- tor from whom they are ; and that upon the Con- ^ . jun\5lion 42 Angelic Wisdom concerning jundlon of the Creator with Man the Connexion of all Things depends, and if you will acknowledge it, the Prefervation of all Things. That the Divine Love created all Things, but Nothing without the Divine Wifdom, will be feen in what follows. 4. 11. Thai the Div'nie Love and the Divine Wif- dom proceed as One from the Lord, This alfo is evi- dent from what was (hew^n in the Treatife concern- ing The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, efpecially from the following Articles therein. That TO BE and TO exist f^.f^ ^^ Exiftere) in the Lord are diilindly one, n. 14 to 17. That in the Lord infinite Things are diflindly one, n. 17 to 22. That the Divine Love is of the Divine Wifdom, and the Divine Wifdom of the Divine Love, n. 34 to 39. That Love without a Marriage with Wifdom can- not do any Thing, n. 401 to 403. That Lov£ does Nothing but in Conjunclion with Wifdom, n. 409^ 410. That fpiritual Heat and fpiritual Light in proceeding from the Lord as a Sun make one, as the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom in the Lord are one, n^ 99 to 132; from what is fhewn in thefe Articles, the Truth of this Matter is evident. But forafmuch as it is not known how two Things diftinQ; from each other can ad as One, I will here fliew that a One doth not exifl without a Form, but that the Form itfelf maketh a One ; and next, that the Form fo much the more perfectly maketh a One, in Proportion as the Things which enter the Form, are diflindly other, and (till united. That a One doth 72ot ex'ijl without a Fcr7n^ but that the Form itfelf maketh it One : Every one who thinks intently with the Mind, may fee clearly, that a One without a Form The Divine Providence. 43 Form doth not exlft, and if it doth exiil that it is a Form ; for whatfoever exifteth, from its Form deri- veth that which is called Quality, and alfo that which is called Predicate, alfo that which is called Change of State, as alfo that which is called Rela- tion [_Relaihu?n]^ and the like; wherefore that which is not in a Form, is not of any Afl^dion, and that which is not of any Affedion, is not alfo of any Thing fnullius RciJ ; the Form itfelf giveth all thefe : And forafmuch as all Things which are in a Form, if the Form is perfeci:, m.utiially refpect each other, as one Link in a Chain doth another, there- fore it follows that the Form iifelf maketh them One, and confequently a fubjeft, whereof Quality, State, Affedion, therefore Something, may be predicated, according to the Perfedion of the Form. Such a One is every Thing which is an Objed of Sight in the World, and fuch a One alfo is every Thing which is not an objed of Sight, whether it be in in- terior Nature, or in the Spiritual World ; fuch a One is Man, and fuch a One is a human Society ; and fuch a One is the Church, as alfo the univerfal Angelic Heaven before the Lord ; in a Word, fuch a One is the created Univerfe not only in general but in eve- ry Particular. In Order that all and every Thing may be Forms, it is neceffary that He who created all Things fliould be Form itfelf, and that from Form itfelf all Things fhould exift which are created in Forms : This therefore is what is ihewn in the Treat- ife concerning The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom under the following Articles, viz. That the itivine Love and the Divine Wifdom is a Sub- ftance and a Form, n. 40 to 43. That the Divine Love 44 Angelic Wisdom concerning I.ove and the Divine Wifdom are Subdance and Form in iifclf, therefore the Self-fubrifting and the Sole-fubfiiling, n. 44 to 46. That the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom in the Lord are One, n. 14 to 17, n. 18 to 22. And that they pror^eed as One from the Lord, n. 99 to 102, and in other Places. ^hat the Form maketh a One Jo ?niich the more perfed- ly^ hi Proportion as the Things which enter into the Form, are di/iindly other, and neverthelefs united: This is comprehended with Difficulty by the Under- flanding unlefs it be elevated, becaufe there is aa Appearance, that Form cannot otherwife make One, than by Semblances of Equality of the Things which conRitute the Form : On this Subje6l 1 have fre- quently converfed with the Angels ; who faid that this is an Arcanum, which the Wife among them perceive clearly, but the lefs Wife obfcurely 5 nev- erthelefs that it is a Truth that a Form is fo much the more perfeft, in Proportion as the Things which conflitute it, are diftinctly other, but ftill united in a fmgular Manner : They confirmed this by the Cafe of the Societies in the Heavens, which taken together conflitute the Form of Heaven ; and by the Angels of each Society, that by how much the more diflindly every one is his own, and therefore free, and thus loveth his Aifociates as from himfelf, and from his own AfFedtion, the Form of the Socie- ty is the more perfedl ; they alfo illuflrated it by the Marriage of Goodnefs and Truth, that by how much the more diflinftly they are two, by fo much the more perfeclly they can make One ; and in like Manner by Love and Wifdom ; and that what is indiftinft is confufed, from whence all Imperfec- The Divine Providence. 45 tion of Form refults. But how Things perfedly diflincl are united, and thus make One, they are al- fo confirmed by many Inftances ; efpecially by the Things whic hare in Man,^^'here innumerable Things are fo diitind, and ftill united, diflind by their Coats, and united by Ligaments ; and that it is the fame with Love and every Thing appertaining to it, and with Wifdom and every Thing appertaining to it, which are not otherwife perceived than a.^; One. More on this Subjed may be feen in the Treatife con- cerning The Divine Love and THE Divine Wis- dom, n. 14 to 2 2, and in the Work concerning Heav- en AND Hell, n. 56 and 489. This is adduced becaufe it is an Arcanum of Angelic Wifdom. 5. in. That this 0?ie is in a certain Image iii every created Thing. That the Divine Love and the Di- vine Wifdom, which in the Lord are one, are in a certain Image in every created Thing, may appear from what is fhewn in many Parts of the Treatife concerning The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, and efpecially from n. 47 to 31 5 54 to 60, 282 to 284, 290 to 295, 316 to 318, 319 to 326, 349 to 457 ; in which Places it is iliewn, that the Divine is in every created Thing, becaufe God the Creator, who is the Lord from Eternity, from him- felf produced the Sun of the Spiritual World, and by that Sun all Things in the Univerfe, ccnfequent- ly that that Sun which is from the Lord, and where- in the Lord is, is not only the firfl: Subftance, but aifo the Sole from which all Things are ; and for- afmuch as it is the fole Subftance, it follows that it is in every created Thing, but with infinite Variety 3^cording to Ules. Now forafmuch as in the Lord there 46 Angelic Wisdom concerning there is Divine Love and Divine Wifdom, and in the Sun from Him Divine Fire and Divine Bright- nefs, and from the Sun fpiritual Heat and fpiritual Light, and thefe two make one, it follows that this One is in a certain Image in every created Thing. Hence it is, that all Things which are in the Uni- verfe have Relation to Good and Truth, yea to the Conjundlion of them, or what is the fame, that all Things in the Univerfe have Relation to Love and Wifdom, and to the Conjunction thereof, for Good is of Love, and Truth is of Wifdom, inafmuch as Love calleth all that appertaineth to it Good, and Wifdom calleth all that appertaineth to it True : That there is a Conjun6lion of thefe in every created Thing, will be feen in what follows. 6. It is acknowledged by many, that there is one only Subilance, which is alfo the firfl, from which all Things are ; but what that Subflance is, it is not known ; it is thought that it is fo fnnple that Nothing can be fnnpler, and that it may be likened to a Point which is of no Dimenfion, and that from an infinite Number of fuch, the Forms of Dimen- fion exiiled : This however is a Fallacy originating from the Idea of Space ; for from this Idea there appears to be fuch a fmalleft [Point or Particle] : Neverthelefs it is a Truth, that by how much any Thing is more fimple and pure, by fo much it is more and fuller ; which is the Reafon why the more interiorly any Objed is viewed, fo much the more wonderful, perfed, and beautiful Things are feen in it ; and thus that in the firil Subflance there are the mofl wonderful, beautiful, and perfed Things of all. The Ground and Reafon of this is, becaufe The Divine Providence. 47 becaufe the firfi: Subflance is from the fpiritual Sun, which, as was faid, is from the Lord, and in which the Lord is, therefore that very Sun is the only Sub- flance, which forafmuch as it is not in Space, is all in all, and in the greateft and lead Things in the created Univerfe. Forafmuch as that Sun is the firll atld only Subflance, from which all Things arc, it follows that there are in it infinitely more Things than what can appear in the Subftances thence deri- ved, which are called fubftantiate, and hUly mate- rial : The Reafon why the former cannot appear in the latter, is, becaufe they defcend from that Sun by Degrees of two Kinds, according to which all Per- fedlions decreafe : Hence it is, that, as was faid above, by how much any Thing is viewed morie in- teriorly, by fo much the more wonderful, perfed, and beautiful Things are feen in it. Thefe Obfer- vations are here made in Order to confirm this Truth, that there is a certain Image of the Divine in every created Thing, but that it appears lefs and lefs in defcending by Degrees, and ftiil lefs when the inferior Degree, being feparated from the fupe- rior Degree by a Clofure, is choaked up with earthy Matter. Thefe Obfervations however cannot but feem obfcure, unlefs what hath been faid concerning the fpiritual Sun in the Treatife on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, n. 53 to 172 ; of Degrees, n. 173 to 281 ; and of the Creation of the Univerfe, n. 282 to ^^^y^ hath been firft read and un- derflood. 7. IV. Tbat it is of the Divine Providence^ that ev^ cry created Thing in the Whole and in Part Jldould be fuch a One^ and if it is noty that itjhould be madefo ; that 48 Angelic Wisdom concerning that Is, that hi every created Thing there ihould be Something out of the Divine Love, and at the fame Time out of the Divine Wifdom, or what is the fame, that in every created Thing there fhould be Good and Truth, or a ConjunQion of the Good and the True : Forafmuch as Good is of Love and the True is of Wifdom, as was faid above, n. 5 ; therefore in what follows, inftead of Love and Wifdom we fliall ufe the Words Good and True, or Goodnefs and Truth, and inftead of the Union of Love and Wif- dom, the Marriage of Goodnefs and Truth. 8. From the preceding Article it is evident, that the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom, which in the Lord are One, and from the Lord proceed as One, exiil in a certain Image in every Thing created by Him ; it may be expedient nov/ to fpeak particularly of that One, or Union, which is called the Marriage of Goodnefs and Truth. That Mar- riage is, L in the Lord himfelf ; fpr as hath been faid, the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom in Him are One. IL It is from the Lord, for in eve- ry Thing which proceedeth from Him, Love and Wifdom are perfectly united ; thefe two proceed from the Lord as a Sun, the Divine LoVe as Heaty and the Divine Wifdom as Light. III. They are received by the Angels indeed as two, but they are united in them by the Lord : The Cafe is the fame with Men of the Church. IV. From the Influx of Love and Wifdom from the Lord as one into the An- gels of Heaven and Men of the Church, and from the Reception thereof by Angels and Men, it is that the Lord in the Word is called the Bridegroom and the Hufband^ and Heaven and the Church the Bride and The Divine Providence,^ 45 and the Wife. V. As far therefore as Heaven and the Church in general, and an Angel of Heaven and a Man of the Church in particular, is in that Union, or in the Marriage of Goodneis and Truths fo far they are an Image and Likenefs of the Lord ; becaufe thefe two in the Lord are One, yea they are the Lord* VL Love and Wifdom in Heaven and ill the Church in general, and in an Angel of Heav- en and in a Man of the Church, are One, when the Will and the Under [landing, and therefore when Goodnefs and Truth make one, or what is the fame, when Charity and Faith make one : or what is dill the fame, when Dodrine from the Word^ and a Life according to it make one. VII. But how thefe two make one in Man and in all Thing.s ap-* pertaining to him, is (hewn in the Trealife concern^ ing The Divine Love and the Divine Wis- dom, Part the Fifth, where the Creation of Man, and particularly the Correfpondence of the W^ill and the Underftanding with the Heart and the Lungs are treated of, from n. 385 to 432. 9. But how thefe make One in the Things which are beneath or without Man, as well in the Things which are in the Animal Kingdom^ as in thofe which are in the Vegetable Kingdom, will be fhewn in many Places in what follows ; previous to which thefe three Things are to be premifed : First^ That in the Univerfe, and in all and every Thing therein, which was created by the Lord, there was a Marriage of Goodnefs and Truth. Secondly, That that Marriage after the Creation was feparated in Man. Thirdly, That it is of the Divine Provi- dence that what is feparated fhould be made one, G and 50 Angelic Wisdom concerning and thus that the Marriage of Goodnefs and Truth ihould be reftored. Thefe three Particulars are abundantly confirmed in the Treatife on The Di- vine Love and the Divine Wisdom, wherefore they have no Need of further Confirmation : Eve- ry one alfo may fee from Reafon, that fmce a Mar- riage of Goodnefs and Truth was by Creation in every created Thing, and fmce this v/as afterwards feparated, the Lord muft operate continually, that it may be reftored ; confequently that the Reilora- tion thereof, and thereby the Conjundion of the created Univerfe with the Lord through Man, is of the Divine Providence. I o. V. That the Good of Love is not Good^ except fo far as it is united to the True of Wifdom^ and that the True of Wifdom is not True^ except fo far as it is uni* ted to the Good of Love : Good and Truth derive this from their Origin, Good in its Origin is in the Lord, in like Manner is Truth, becaufe the Lord is Good itfelf and Truth itfelf, and thefe two in Him are one ; hence it is that Good in the Angels of Heaven and in Men of the Earth is not Good in itfelf, except fo far as it is united to Truth, and that Truth is not Truth in itfelf, except fo far as it is united to Good. That all Good and all Truth is from the Lord, is well known ; hence, foraf- much as Good maketh one with Truth, and Truth with Good, it follows, that in Order to Good being Good in itfelf, and Truth being True in itfelf they muil make one in the Recipient, which is an Angel of Heaven and a Man of the Earth. II. It is known indeed that all Things in the LT- niverfe have Relation to Good and Truth, becaufe by The Divine Providence. 51 by Good Is uncierflood that which univerfally em- braceth and iiivolveth all Things of Love, and by Truth is underfbod that which univerfally embra- ceth and involveth all l^hings of Wifdom ; but it 'is not yet known that Good is not any Thing unlefs united to Truth, nor that Truth is not any Thing unlefs united to Good : It appears indeed as if Good were Something without Truth, and as if Truth were Something without Good, but ftill they are not ; for Love, all Things appertaining to which are called Goods, is the EJle of a Thing, and Wifdom, all Things appertaining to which arc called Truths, is the Exi/iere (Exiftence) of a Thing from that jLlfe, as was fhewn in the Treatife on The Divine Love AND the Divine Wisdom, n. 14 to 16; wherefore as an Elle (ElTence) without Exifience is not any Thing, nor Exiilence without an EfTence, fo Good without Truth, and Truth without Good, are not any l^hing. In like Manner, what is Good without Relation to Something ? can it be called Good ? it being in fuch Cafe of no Affeaion and af no Perception ; to appertain to Affedion and Perception hath Relation to Truth, together with the Good which affecleth, and which caufeth Itfelf to be perceived and felt, becaufe it hath Relation to that which is in the Underftanding ; fay barely to any one, Good, and not this or that is good, and is Good any Thing ? But by Virtue of this or that which is perceived as one with Good, it is Some- thing ; this is not united to Good any where elfe but in the Underflanding, and the All of the Un- derflanding hath Relation to Truth. It is the fame with Volition (vellej j to will without knowing, perceiving. 52 Angelic Wisdom coNCERNiNe^ perceiving, and thinking what a Man willeth, is not any Thing, but together with thefe it becometh Something ; all Volition (n^ellej is of Love, and hath Relation to Good, and all Knowledge (fcire)y Perception, and Thought is of the Underflanding, and hath Relation to Truth ; hence it is evident, that to will is not any Thing, but to will this or that is Something. It is the fame with all Ufe, be- caufe Ufe is good j Ufe, unlefs it be determined to Something, with which it may be one, is not Ufe, therefore it is not any Thing ; Ufe derives its be- ing Something, from the Underflanding, and that whidh is thence conjoined or adjoined to Ufe, hath Re- lation to Truth ; from this Ufe derives its Quality* From thefe few Hints it may appear that Good with- out Truth is not any Thing, therefore ihat neither is Truth without Good any Thing. It is faid that Good with Truth and Truth with Good are Some« thing, hence it follows, that Evil with Falfe and Falfe with Evil are not Something, for the latter are cppofite to the former, and Oppofition deflroyeth, in the prefent Cafe deftroyeth that which is Sorne^ thing (allquid) ; but more of this in what follows. 1 2. But there exifteth a Marriage of Goodnefs and Truth in the Caufe, and there exifleth a Mar* riage of Goodnefs and Truth from the Caufe in the Effed ; the Marriage of Goodnefs and Truth in the Caufe, is the Marriage of the Will and the Under, {landing, or of Love and Wifdom ; in all that a Man willeth and thinketh, and which he thence conclu- fdeth and intendeth, there is this Marriage : This Marriage entereth the Effed and caufeth it, but in ^fteding, thefe two appear diflind, becaufe what is Simultaneous The Divine Providence. 53 Simultaneous then conflitutcth what is Succefiive : As when a Man willeth and thinketh to be nourifh- ed, to be cloathed,to have a Dwelling, to do any Bufi- jiefs or Work, or to converfe, in this Caie he firfl limul- taneoufly willeth and thinketh, or concludeth and ijiteadeth it, and when he hath determined thele Operations toEifecl, then one Thing fucceedcth after another, but ftill they continually make one in the JVill and in the Thought : Ufcs in thefe EHx^as are of Love or of Good, Means to Ufes are of the Un- derif anding or of Truth. Thefe Univerfals any one may confirm by Particulars, if fo be he diftindtly perceiveth what hath Relation to the Good of Love and what to the True of Wifdom, and diftindly perceiveth how it hath Relation in the Caufe and how in the Effect. 13. It hath occafionally been faid, that Love makes the Life of Man, but it is not meant Love feparate from Wifdom, or Good feparate from Truth in the Caufe, becaufe Love feparate or Good feparate, is not any Thing, wherefore the Love which maketh the inmofl Life of Man, which isr from the Lord, is Love and Wifdom together : neither alfo is the Love which maketh the Life of Man fo far as he is a Recipient, feparated in the Caufe, but in the Effect ; for Love cannot be under- flood without its Quality, and its Quality is Wif- dom ; Quality or Wifdom cannot be given except from its Effe, which is Love, hence it is that they are one ; it is the fame with Good and Truth. New forafmuch as Truth is from Good, as Wifdom is from Love, therefore both taken together are called JLove or Good, for Love in its Form is Wifdom, J and 54 Angflic Wisdom concerning and Good in its Form is Truth j from its Form, and from no other Source is all its Quality. Hereby then it may appear that Good is not in the leaft Good, any more than in Proportion as it is uni- ted to its Truth, and that Truth is not in the leaft Truth, any more than in Proportion as it is united to its Good. 14, VI. That the Good of Love not united to the True of Wfdo?n is not Good in itfef^ but that it is apparent Cood^ and that the True ofWifdojn not united to the Good of Love is not True in itfef but that it is apparent Truth, The Truth is, that there doth not- exift any Good which is Good in itfelf, except it be united to its Truth, nor any Truth which is True in iticif, except it be united to its Good ; neverthe- lefs ^here exnts Good feparate from Truth, and Truth feparate from Qood ; this exideth in Hypo- crites and Flatterers, in all the Wicked whatfoever, and in thofe who are in natural Good and in no fpirit- ual Good ; thefe can do Good to the Church, to their Country, to Society, to their Fellow-Citizens, to the Needy, the Poor, to Widows and Orphans, and they can alfo underftand Truths, from the Underftanding think them, and from Thought fpeak and teach them ; but (till thefe Goods and Truths arc not inte- riorly, therefore not in themfelves Goods and Truths in them, but they are exteriorly Goods and Truths, therefore only in Appearance, for they are only for the Sake of Self and the World, and not for the Sake of Good itfelf and Truth itfelf, confequently not grounded in Goodnefs and Truth ; wherefore they are only of the Mouth and of the Body, and not of the Heart 5 and may be compared to Gold and The Divine Providence. 55 and Silver inclofing Drofs, or putriJ Wood or Dung ; and Truths thus uttered may be compared to the Wind of Refpiration which is difperfed, or to an Ignis fatuus which vaniflieth, which neverthelefs outwardly appear as if they were genuine : Notwith- ftanding, however, fuch Appearance, they may ap- pear otherwife to the Hearers and Recipients, who do not know this ; for what is external afledeth every one according to his internal, inafniuch as Truth entereth, from whatever Mouth it be uttered, into the Hearing of another, and is received by the Mind according to its State and Quality. With thofe who are in natural Good hereditarily, and in no fpiritual Good, the Cafe is nearly funilar, for the Internal of all Good and of all Truth is fpiritual, and this fhaketh off Falfes and Evils, but the Natu- ral Principle alone favoureth them, and to favour Evils and Falfes, and to do Good, do not accord. tj. The Ground and Reafon why Good can be feparated from Truth, and Truth from Good, and when it is feparated, ilill appear as Good and Truth, is, becaufe Man hath a Faculty of acting, which is called Liberty, and a Faculty of underftanding, which is called Rationality ; from the Abufe of thefe Faculties it is, that Man can appear different in Externals from what he is in Internals ; there- fore that a wicked Man can do Good and fpeak Truth, or that the Devil can imitate an Angel of Light. But on this Subjecl fee the following Obfer^ rations in the Treatife on The Divine Love and THE Divine Wisdom : That the Origin of Evil is from the Abufe of the Faculties which are proper to Man, and are called Rationality and Liberty, n, 264 to ^6 Angelic Wisdom coNcEtiNiNO to 270. That thefe two Faculties exifl as well In the Vv icked as in the Good, n. 425. That Love with- out a Marriage with Wildom, or Good without 3 Marriage with Truth, cannot do any Thing, n. 401* That Love does Nothing but in Gonjundion with WiiUoin or the Under (tan ding, n. 409. That Love joineth itfelf to Wifdom or the Underflanding, and caufeth Wifdom or the Underflanding to be recip- rocally joined to it, n. 410, 411, 412. That Wif- dom or the Underflanding, by Means of the Power given it by l^ove, can be elevated, and receive the Things which are of the Light from Heaven, and perceive them, n. 413. That Love can in like Manner be elevated, and receive the Things which are of the Heat from Heaven, if it loves Wifdom its Confort in that Degree, n. 414, 415. That otherwife Love draws dov/n Wifdom or the Under- flanding from its Elevation, that it may a6l as one \vith it, n. 416 to 418. That Love is purified ia the Underflanding, if they are elevated together, n. 419 to 421. That Love purified by Wifdom in the Underflanding becomes fpiritual and celeflial j but that Love defiled in the Underflanding be- comes fenfual and corporeal, n. 422 to 424. That it is the fame with Charity and Faith and their Con- jun61:ion, as it is with Love and Wifdom and their Conjunclion, n, 427 to 430. What Charity is in Heaven, n. 451. 16. VIL Thnt the Lord doth not juffer any Thing to be divided^ ^wherefore it muji either be in Good and at the f ante Time in Truths or in Evil and at the fame Time in the Falfe. The Divine Providence of the Lord hath efpecially for its End, and operates, thas Ma« The Divine Providence, 57 Man may be in Good and at the fame Time in Truth, inafmuch as hereby he is his own Good and his own Love, and alio his own Truth and his cwn Wifdom ; for by this Man is Man, being in this Cafe an Image of the Lord : But forafmuch as Man, while he hveth in the World, can be in Good and at the fame Time in the Falfe, alfo in Evil and at the fame Time in Truth, yea can be in Evil and at the fame Time in Good, and thus as it w^ere a dou- ble Man, and fmce this Divifion dellroyeth that Image and confequently the Man, therefore the Divine Providence of the Lord, in all and fmgular its Operationsj hath in View, that this Divifion ihould not exift : And forafmuch as it is lefs hurt-. ful to Man, to be in Evil and at the fame Time in the Falfe, than to be in Good and at the fame Time in Evil, therefore the Lord permitteth the former, not as willing it, but as not being able to refifl it for the Sake of the End, which is Salvation, The Reafon why Man can be in Evil and at the fame Time in Truth, and that the Lord cannot refill it for the Sake of the End, which is Salvation, is be- caufe the Underflanding of Man can be elevated into the Light of Wifdom, and fee Truths, or ac- knowledge them when he heareth them, his Love remaining below ; thus Man can be with his Un- derflanding in Heaven, but with his Love in Hell, and to be lo^ cannot be denied Man, becaufe the two Faculties, by which he is Man, and is didin- guilhed from Beads, and by which alone he can be regenerated and thereby faved, which are Rational- ity and Liberty, cannot be taken away from him ; for by them Man can adi according to Wifdom, and H *i:b 58 Angelic Wisdom concerning alfo can a6l according to the Lovt not of Wifdom, and can from Wifdom above fee Love beneath, and thus fee his own Thoughts, Intentions, AfFeftions, therefore the Evils and Falies, as alfo the Goods and Truths of his Life and Dodrine, without a Knowl- edge and Acknowledgment of which in himfelf, he cannot be reformed. Of thefe two Faculties Some- thing hath been faid above, and more will be faid in what follows. This is the Reafon why Man can be in Good and at the fame Time in Truth, alfo in Evil and at the fame Time in the Falfe, and likewife in the Alternates thereof. 17. Man can with Difficulty in this World come either into one or the other Conjundion or Union, that is, of Good and True, or of Evil and Falfe, for fo long as he Hveth here, he is kept in a State of Reformation or Regeneration ; but every Man Cometh into one or the other after Death, becaufe then he can no longer be reformed and regenera- ted J he then remains fuch as his Life had been in the World, that is, fuch as his ruling Love had been ; wherefore if his Life had been a Life of the Love of Evil, every Truth which he had acquired from Mafte.rs, Preachings, or the Word in this World, is taken away from him, which being taken away, he imbibes the Falfe which accords v/ith his Evil, as a Spunge doth Water ; and vice vcrfa ; but if his Life had been a Life of the Love of Good, every Falfe is removed which he had imbibed by Hearing or by Reading in the World, and which he had not confirmed in himfelf, and in Place there- of is given Truth which accordeth with his Good. This is meant by thefe Words of the Lord, " Take the The Divine Providence. S9 the Talent from bimy and give if iinio him which hath ten Talents ; for unto every one that hath Jhall be giv* en^ and he Jhall have Abundance ; but from him that hath not Jhall be taken away even that which he hath^^ Matt. XXV. 28,29. Chap. xiii. 12. Markiv. 25. Luke viii. 18. Chap. xix. 24 to 26. 18. The Ground and Reafon why every one after Death mull: either be in Good and at the fame Time in Truth, or in Evil and at the fame Time in the Falfe, is, becaufe Good and Evil cannot be joined^' neither Good and at the fame Time the Falfe of Evil, nor Evil, and at the fame Time the True of Good, for they are Oppofites, and Oppofites combat each other, until one deftroyeth the other. They who are in Evil and at the fame Time in Good, are underflood by thefe Words of the Lord to the Church of Laodicea in the Apocalypfe, " / know thy Works ^ that thou art neither cold nor hot ; I would thou wert either cold or hot ; but becaufe thou art luke^ warm^ and neither cold nor hot^ I will f pew thee out of 7ny Mouth^^ iii, 15, 16 : Alfo by thefe Words of the Lord, " tvo Man can ferve two Majlers ; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or elfe he will hold to the one and defpife the other,'* Matt. vi. 24. 19. VIII. That that which is in Good and at the fame Ti?ne in Truth is Something, and that that which is in Evil and at the fame Time in the Falfe is ?iot any Thing, That that which is in Good and at the fame Time in Truth is Something, may be feen above, n. 1 1 ; thence it follows, that what is Evil and at the fame Time Falfe is not any Thing. By not being any Thing, is meant that it hath no Power^ and 6o Angelic Wisdom concerning and nothing of fpiritual Life : They who are In Evil and at the fame Time in the Falfe, all of whom are in Hell, have indeed Power among themfelves, for a wicked Spirit can do Evil, and alfo doth do Evil a thoufand Ways, neverthelefs he can only from a Principle of Evil do Evil to the Wicked, but cannot in the leafl do Evil to the Good, and if he doeth E- vil to the Good, which fometimes is the Cafe, it is by Conjundion with their Evil ; thence come Tempta- tions, which are Infeflations arifmg from evil Spirits about a Man, and confequent Combats, whereby the Good may be delivered from their Evils. For- afmuch as the Wicked have no Power, therefore the univerfal Hell before the Lord is not only as Noth- ing, but it is altogether Nothing as to Power ; that it is fo, I have feen confirmed by much Experience. This however is wonderful, that all the Wicked think themfelves powerful, and that all the Good think themfelves not powerful j the Reafon is, becaufe the Wicked attribute every Thing to Self-derived Pru- dence, and therefore to Cunning and Malice, and Nothing to the Lord ; but the Good attribute Noth- ing to Self-derived Prudence, but every Thing to the Lord, who is Omnipotent. Another Reafon why Evil and its attendant Falfe are not any Thing, is, becaufe they have Nothing of fpiritual Life ; and ' this is the Reafon why the Life of the Infernals is not called Life but Death, wherefore fmce every Something appertaineth to Life, Death cannot have any Thing appertaining to it. 20. They who are at the fame Time in Evil and in Truths, may be compared to Eagles foaring aloft, which, when their Wings are taken away, fall down t For . The Divine Providence. 6i For Men do the fame after Death, when they be- come Sph"its ; they who underflood Truths, fpake them, and taught them, and yet had no Regard to God in their Life, fuch by their Intelleduals elevate themfelves on high, and fometimes enter Heaven, and feign themfelves Angels of Light ; but when Truths are taken away from them, and they are fent forth, they fall down into Hell. Eagles alfo fignify Men of Rapine, who have intelleftual Sight, and Wings Signify fpiritual Truths. It was faid, that they are fuch, who had no Refped to God in their Life ; by having Refpecl to God in their Life, is meant Noth- ing elfe but to think this or that Evil a Sin againft God, and therefore not to do it. , 21. IX. That the Divine Providence of the Lord caufeth Evil and its attendant Falfe tofervefor Equi- libriu?n^ Relation^ and Furijication^ and thereby for the Conjunction of Good and Truth in others. From the foregoing Gonfiderations it may appear, that the Divine Providence of the Lord continually operateth, that in Man Truth may be united to Good and Good to Truth, by Reafon that this Union is the Church and is Heaven ; for this Union is in the Lord, and it is in every Thing that proceedeth from the Lord : From this Union it is, that Heaven is called a Marriage, and alfo the Church, wherefore the Kingdom of God in the Word is likened to a Marriage: From this Union it is, that the Sabbath in the Ifraelitifh Church was the mofl holy Part of Worfliip, for it fignified this Union : Hence alfo it is, that in the Word, and in all and every Thing there- in, there is a Marriage of Good and Truth, on which iiubjeci: fee the Doctrine of the New Jerufalem con- 62 Angelic Wisdom concerning cerning The Sacred Scripture, n. 80 to 90; the Marriage of Good and Truth is from the Mar* riage of the Lord with the Church, and the latter from the Marriage of Love and Wifdom in the Lord, for Good is of Love, and Truth is of Wifdom. Hence it may be feen, that it is the perpetual Object of the Divine Providence, to unite in Man Good to Truth and Truth to Good, for fo Man is united to the Lord. 22. But whereas many have broken and do break this Marriage, efpecially by the Separation of Faith from Charity, and thereby conjoin in themfelves Evil and the Falfe, and thus have become, and do become oppofite, it is provided of the Lord that thefe neverthelefs may ferve for the Conjunction of Good and Truth in others, by Equilibrium, by Relation, and by Purification. 23. The Conjunction of Good and Truth in oth- ers is provided for of the Lord by Equilibrium be- tween Heaven and Hell ; for from Hell continually exhales Evil and its concomitant Falfe, but from Heaven continually exhales Good and its concom- itant Truth ; every Man is kept in this Equilibrium, fo long as he liveth in the World, and thereby in the Liberty of thinking, willing, fpeaking, and act- ing, in which he may be reformed. Concerning this fpiritual Equilibrium, from which is derived the Liberty of Man, fee the Work on Heaven and Hell, n. 589 to 596, and n. 597 to 603. 24. The Conjundion of Good and Truth is pro- vided for of the Lord by Relation ; for Good is not known as to its Qviality, but by Relation to what is lefs good, and by Oppofition to Evil ; all the The Divine Providence, 6;^ the perceptive and fenfitive Principle is thence deri- ved, becaufe their Quality is thence ; for thus all De- light is perceived and felt from what is lefs delight- ful, and by what is difagreeable ; all Beauty from what is lefs beautiful, and by what is ugly ; in like Manner all Good which is of Love from what is lefs good, and by Evil ; and all Truth which is of Wif- dom from what is lefs true, and by what is falfe : There mufl be Variety in every Thing from its greateft to its leafl, and when there is Variety alfo in its Oppofite from its lead to its greateft, and Equilibrium intercedeth, then according to the De- grees on both Sides Relation is eftablifhed, and the Perception and Senfation of the Thing either in- creafeth or is diminiihed. But it is to be noted, that what is oppofite taketh away, and alfo exalteth Per- ceptions and Senfations ; it taketh them away when it mixeth itfelf, and exalteth them when it doth not mix itfelf, for which Reafon the Lord exquifitely feparateth Good and Evil, left they fhouldbe mixed, in Man, as he feparateth Heaven and Hell. 25. The Conjundion of Good and Truth in oth- ers is provided for of the Lord by Purification, which is done two Ways, one by Temptations, and the other by Fermentations. Spiritual Temptations are no other than Combats againft Evils and Falfes, which are exhaled from Hell and afFed ; by them Man is purified from Evils and Falfes, and in him Good is joined to Truth, and Truth to Good. Spiritual Fermentations are effedled many Ways, as well in the Heavens as in the Earths ; but in the World it is not known what they are, and how they are effected : For they are Evils and at the fame 64 Angelic Wisdom concerning fame Time Falfes, which being let in upon Societies a6l like Ferments put into Meal and fermentable Li* quors, whereby heterogeneous Things are feparated, and Things homogeneous are conjoined, and be- come pure and clarified : Thefe are what are under- flood by thefe Words of the Lord, " The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto Leaven^ which a Woman took and hid in three Meafures of Meal^ till the Whole wai leavened^^ Matt. xiii. ^^ Luke xiii. 21. 26. Thefe Ufes are provided by the Lord from the Conjundion of Evil and the Falfe Principle, which is in thofe who are in Hell ; for the Kingdom of the Lord, which is not only over Heaven, but alfo over Hell, is a Kingdom of Ufes ; and it is the Divine Providence of the Lord, that there Ihould not be there any Perfon or any Thing, from which and by which Ufe is not performed. -»»5*»^><^^^><-«^- That the Divine Providence of the Lord hath for its End an Heaven out of the Hu7nan Race. iy. nr'H AT Heaven is not from any Angels cre- X ated fuch from the Beginiling, and that Hell is not from any Devil, who was created an An- gel of Light, and cad out from Heaven, but that Heaven and Hell are from the Human Race, Heav- en from thofe who are in the Love of Good and thence in the Underllanding of Truth, and Hell from thofe who are in the Love of Evil and thence in Thje Divine Providencit. 6^ m the Under ftandlng of what Is Falfe, hath been made known and proved to me by a long Intercourfe with Angels and Spirits ; concerning which fee al- fo what is'lhewn in the Work on Heaven and Hell, n. 311 to 316; alfo in the Tracl on The Last Judgment, n. 14 to 27 ; and in the Contin- uation CONCERNING THE LaST JUDGMENT AND THE Spiritual World, from Beginning to End, Now forafmuch as Heaven is from the Human Race, and Heaven is Cohabitation with the Lord to Eter- nity, it follows that that was the Lord's End of Cre- ation, and forafmuch as it was the End of Creation, it is the End of his Divine Providence : The Lord did not create the Univerfe for his own Sake, but for the Sake of thofe with whom he will dwell in Heaven ; for fpirltual Love is fuch, th?>t It wlflieth to give what it hath to another, and in Proportion as it can do this, It Is in its EJ/ey in its Peace, and in its BlelTednefs ; this Property fpirltual Love deriveth from the Divine Love of the Lord, which is infi- nitely fuch : Hence it follows, that the Divine Love and confequently the Divine Providence hath for its End an Heaven, which may confift of Men made Angels, and who are making fuch, to whom the Lord can give all the Beatitudes and Felicities which are of Love and Wifdom, and give them out of Hlm- felf in them ; nor can he do otherwdfe, becaufe his Image and Likenefs from Creation is in them, his Image in them is Wifdom, and his Likenefs in them is Love, and the Lord In them is Love united to Wifdom and Wifdom united to Love, or what is the fame, he is Good united to Truth, and Truth united to Good ; which Union was treated of in I the 66 Angelic Wisdom concerning tbe preceding Article. But forafmuch as it is not known what Heaven is in general, or in many, and what Heaven is in particular, or in one ; alfo what Heaven is in the fplritual World, and what Heaven is in the natural World, and never thelefs it is of Impor- tance to know this, becaufe it is the End of the Di- vine Providence, therefore I am defirous to place this Subjed in fome Degree of Light in the follow- ing Order. L That Heaven is Conjun£l:ion whh the Lord. IL That Man by Creation is fuch, that he can be nearer and nearer conjoined to the Lord. IlL That Man, in Proportion as he is more nearly conjoined to the Lord, in the fame Proportion be* Cometh wifer. IV. That Man, in Proportion as he is miore nearly conjoined to the Lord, in the fame Proportion becomcth happier. V. That Man, ia Proportion as he is more nearly conjoined to the Lord, in the fame Proportion appeareth to himfelf more diilindly to be his own, and perceiveth more evidently that he is the Lord's, 28. L TJj at Heaven is CoiyunBion wit/j the Lord : Heaven is not Heaven from the Angels, but from the Lord, for the Love and Wifdom, in which the Angels are, and which conflitute Heaven, are not from them, but from the Lord, yea, they are the Lord in them : And whereas Love and Wifdom are of the Lord, and are the Lord in Heaven, and Love and Wifdom conflitutes the Life of the Angels, it is evident that their Life is of the Lord, yea, that it is the Lord ; that they live from the Lord, the Angela themfelves confefs ; hence it may appear that Heav- en is Conjunftion with the Lord. But whereas va-- rious Conjundion is given with the Lord, and con- fequently The Divine Providence. 67 fequemly one hath not the fame Heaven as another, it alfo follows, that Heaven is according to Con- jundion with the Lord ; that there is a nearer and nearer Conjundion, alfo one more and more remote^ ■will be feen in the following Article. In the pref- cnt Article we fliall fpeak of that Conjundion how it is effeded, and what it is : There is a Conjundion of the Lord with the Angels, and of the Angels with the Lord, and thus a reciprocal Conjundion ; The Lord floweth into the Life's Love of the Angels, and the Angels receive the Lord in Wifdom, and by this in their Turn conjoin themfelves to the Lord. But it is well to be attended to, that it appears to the Angels as if they conjoined themfelves to the Lord by Wifdom, but yet the Lord conjoineth them by Wifdom to himfelf j for their Wifdom is alfo from the Lord : It is the fame if it is faid, that the Lord conjoineth himfelf to the Angels by Good, and that the Angels in their Turn conjoin themfelves to the Lord by Truth, for all Good is of Love, and all Truth is of Wifdom. But forafmuch as this recip< rocal Conjundion is an Arcanum, which few can un- derlland unlefs it be explained, I will unfold it, fo far as it can be done, by fuch Things as are adequate to the Comprehenfion : In the Treatife concerning The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, n. 404, 405, it is (hewn how Love conjoineth itfelf to Wifdom, viz. by the Aifedion of knowing, from which is derived the Affedion of Truth, and by the Affedion of Underftanding, from which is derived the Perception of Truth, and by the Affedion of feeing that which is known and underftood, from which is derived Thought; : The Lord floweth into all 68 Angelic Wisdom concerning all thefe Affections, for they are Derivations from the Life's Love of every one, and the Angels re- ceive that Influx in the Perception of Truth, and in Thought, for in thefe the Influx appears to them, but not in the Aifections ; now forafmuch as Per- ceptions and Thoughts appear to the Angels as if they were their own, when neverthelefs they are from Afledions, which are from the Lord, there- fore there is that Appearance, that the Angels recip- rocally conjoin themfelves to the Lord^ when never- thelefs the Lord conjoineth them to himfelf, for Af- fedtion itfelf produceth them, Afleclion which is of Love being the Soul of them ; for no one can per- ceive and think any Thing without Affedion, and every one perceiveth and thinketh according to Af- fedion ; hence it is evident, that the reciprocal Conjundion of the Angels with the Lord is not from them, but feems as if from them. Such a Conjundion alfo the Lord hath with the Church, and the Church with the Lord, which is called the celefliial and fpiritual Marriage. 29. All Conjundion in the fpiritual World Is ef- feded by Infpedion ; when any one there thinks of another from the AflJedlon of fpeaking with him, the other immediately becomes prefent, and one fees the other Face to Face ; the fame Thing hap- pens when any one thinketh of another from the AflFedion of Love, but by this Alfedion Conjundion is produced, whereas by the other Prefence only : This is peculiar to the fpiritual World ; the Reafon is, becaufe all there are fpiritual, not fo in the natu- ral World in which all are material ; in the natural World the fame takes Place with Men in tiie Affec- tions The Divine Providence. 69 tions^ and Thoughts of their Spirit ; but whereas in the natural World there are Spaces, but in the fpi- ritual World Spaces are only Appearances, therefore in the latter World that is efFeded a£lually, which hath Place in the Thought of any Spirit. This In- formation is given in Order that it may be known how the Conjundlion of the Lord with the Angels is effected, and the apparent reciprocal Conjunclion of the Angels with the Lord ; for all the Angels turn their Faces to the Lord, and the Lord looketh at them in the Forehead, and the Angels look at the Lord's Eyes, the Reaibn is, becaufe the Forehead correfpondeth to Love and its AfFcclions, and the Eyes correfpond to Wifdom and its Perceptions : Neverthelefs the Angels from themfelves do not turn their Faces to the Lord,- but the Lord turneth them to himfelf, and turneth them by Influx into their Life's Love, and by it entereth into their Perceptions and Thoughts, and fo converteth them. Such a Circulation of the Love to the Thought?, and from the Thoughts to the Love from Love, hath Place in all the human Mind ; which Cir- culation or Circle may be called the Circle of Life. On this Subjed fee fome Things alfo in the Treatife on The Divine Love and the Di- vine Wisdom ; as that the Angels conftantly tura their Faces to the Lord as the Sun, n. 129 to 134. That all the Interiors as well of the Minds as of the Bodies of Angels, are in like Manner turned to the Lord as a Sun, n. 135 to 139. That every Spirit whatfoever in like Manner turns himfelf to his ru- hng Love, n. 140 to 145. That Love joins itfelf to Wifdom, and caufeth Wifdom to be reciprocally • joined yo Angelic Wisdom concerning joined to it, n. 4 1 o to 4 1 2. That the Angels are la the Lord, and the Lord in them : And forafmuch as the Angels are Recipients, that the Lord alone is Heaven, n. 113 to 118. 30. The Lord's Hfeaven in the natural World is called the Church, and an Angel of this Heaven ij a Man of the Church who is conjoined to the Lord^ who alfo, after his Departure out of the World, be* Cometh an Angel of the fpiritual Heaven : Hence it is evident, that the fame which is faid of the angelic Heaven, is to be underflood of the human Heaven, which is called the Church. This reciprocal Con- jundtion with the Lord, which conflitutes Heaven in Man, is revealed by the Lord in thefe Words in John, ^' Abide in Me, and I in you ; h^ that ahldeth in Me^ and I in him^ the fame hringeth forth much fruit / fop ^without Me ye can do l^othing^^ xv. 4, 5, y^ 3 1 . Hence it may appear, that the Lord is Heav* en, not only in common to all in Heaven, but alfo in particular to each Individual there j for every Angel is a Heaven in its leait Form ; and from as many Heavens as there are Angels, Heaven in com^ mon exifls ; that this is the Cafe may be feen in the Work on Heaven and Hell, n. 51 to ^%, Let not then any one cherifh this Error, which enters into the firfl Thoughts of many that the Lord is in Heaven among the Angels, or that he is with them, as a King is in his Kingdom ; he is above them as to Sight in the Sun there, but as to their Life of Love and Wifc dom he is in them. 32. IL That Man by Creation is fuch^ that he can he nearer and nearer conjoined to the Lord, may ap» pear from what is fhewn concerning Degrees, in the Treatife The Divine Providence, ^t Treatlfe on Th- Divine Love and the Divins "Wisdom, Part the Third, particularly from the fol- lowing Articles : That there are three difcrete De- grees, or Degrees of Altitude, in Man by Creation^ n. 230 to 235. That thefe three Degrees are in every Man by Birth, and that as they are opened, Man is in the Lord and the Lord in him, n. 236 to 241. And that all Perfe6lions increafe and afcend tvith Degrees, and according to them, n. 299 to 204 : From which it is evident, that Man is fuch by Creation, that by Degrees he can be nearer and Hearer conjoined to the Lord. But it is well to be underftood, what Degrees are, and that they are of two Kinds, difcrete Degrees, or Degrees of Altitude, and continuous Degrees, or Degrees of Latitude, and what the Difference is between them ; alfo that every Man by Creation, and thence by Birth, hath three difcrete Degrees or Degrees of Altitude, and that Man cometh into the firfl Degree, which is call- ed the natural Degree, when he is born, and that he can increafe this Degree in himfclf by Continuity, till he becometh rational ; and that he cometh into the fecond, which is called the fpiritual Degree, if he liveth according to the Laws of fpiritual Order, which are Divine Truths ; and that he may alfo come into the third or celellial Degree, if he liv- eth according to the Laws of celeftial Order, which are Divine Goods. Thefe Degrees are opened in Man by the Lord according to his Life in the World actually, but not perceptibly and fenfibly till after his Departure out of the World ; and as they are opened and afterwards perfected, fo Man is nearer and nearer conjoined to the Lord. This Conjunc- tion ^2 Angelic Wisdom concerning ticn by nearer Approach may be increafed to Eter-» nity, and alio is increafed in the Angels to Eternity j but ilill an Angei cannot arrive at the firfl Degree of the Lord's Love and Wifdom, or attain it, be- caufe the Lord is infinite, and an Angel is finite, and there is no Proportion between Infinite and i^inite. Forafmuch as no one can underftand the State of Man, and the State of his Elevation and Approximation to the Lord, except he knoweth thefe Degrees, therefore they aie particularly treat- ed of in the Treatife on The Divine Love and THE Divine Wisdom, from n. 173 to 281 j which fee. ^^. We fhall briefly fhew how Man can be nearj er conjoined to the Lord, and then how that Con- ]un£lion appears nearer and nearer. How Man is nearer and nearer conjoined to the Lord ; this is done not by Science alone, nor by Intelligence alone, vea neither by Wifdoni alone, but by a Life conjoined to them : The Life of Man is his Love, aiid Love is manifold ; in general there is a Love of Evil and a Love of Good ; the Love of Evil is the Love of A^ dukery, Revenge, Fraud, Blafphemy, and of depriving others of their Goods ; the Love of Evil in thinking and in doing thefe feels Pleafure and Delight ; the Derivations, which are Affections of this Love, arc as many as there are Evils to which it hath deter- mined itfelf ; and the Perceptions and Thoughts of this Love, are as many as there are Falfes which fa- vour thofe Evils and confirm them : Thefe Falfes make one with the Evils, as the Underflanding maketh one with the Will, and they are not fepa- rated from each other, becaufe one is of the other. Now The Divine pRovtDfiNci:. 73 Now forafaiuch as the Lord fioweth into the Life's Love of every one, and by his Affoclions into his Perceptions and Thoughts, and not vke^^erfa^ as was faid above, it follows that he cannot conjoin himfelf nearer, than as the Love of Evil v/ith its Affections, which are Luffs, is removed 5 and foraf- much as thefe refide in the natural Man, and Man, whatfoever he doeth from the natural Man, feeleth as if he aQed from himfelf, therefore Man ought as from himfelf to remove the Evils of that Love, and then in Proportion as he removeth them, in the fame Proportion the Lord approacheth nearer, and join- eth himfelf to him : Any one may fee from Reafon that Lufls with their Delights oblfrudt and Ihut the Door againd the Lord, and that they cannot be cad cut by the Lord, fo long as Man himfelf keepeth the Door fliut, and prefleth from without and pre- venteth it from being opened : That Man himfelf ought to open it, is evident frorn the Lord's Words in the Revelation, *' Behold If and at the Door and knock ; if any Man hear my Voice ^ and open the Door^ I will come in to him, and will f up with him, and he *with Me,** iii. 20. Hence it is evident, that in Pro- portion as any one fhunneth Evils as diabolical, and ■as Obftacles to the Lord's Entrance, in the fame Proportion he is more and more nearly conjoined to the Lord, and he the mod nearly, who abominates them as fo many black and fiery Devils, for Evil and the Devil are one ; and the Falfe of Evil and Satan are one ; becaufe as the Influx of the Lord is into the Love of Good and its Affections, and by thefe into the Perceptions and Thoughts, all which derive from the Good, in which a Man is principled, that they K are 74 Angelic Wisdom goncernincj are Truths, fo the Infiux of the Devil, that is, cf Hell, is into the Love of Evil and its AfFeQions, which are Lufls, and by thefe into the Perceptions and Thoughts, all which derive from the Evil in which a Man is principled, that they are Falfes; Hozu that Conjundion appears nearer and nearer ; in Proportion as Evils are removed in the natural Man by fhunning and turning away from them, in the fame Proportion Man is nearer conjoined to the Lord : And whereas Love and Wifdom, which are the Ix)rd himfelf, are not in Space, for Affedion which is of Love, and Thought which is of Wifdom, have Nothing in common with Space, therefore the Lord according to Conjunction by Love and Wif- dom appeareth nearer 5 and on the contrary accord- ing to the Rejedion of Love and Wifdom more remote : Space doth not exifl in the fpiritual World, but in that World Diftances and Prefence are Ap- pearancesjiccording to Similitudes and DifTmiilitudes of Affections, for, as was faid, AfFe6tions which are of Love, and Thoughts which are of Wifdom., and in themfelves fpiritual, are not in Space j on which Subjed fee what is fliewn in the Treatife on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, n. 7 to 10, and n. 69 to 72, and elfewhere. The Conjunc- tion of the Lord with Man, in whom Evils are re- moved, is underflood by thefe Words of the Lord, " The pure in Heart JJoall fee God;' Matt. v. 8. And by thefe, " He that bath my Commandments^ a7id keep^ etb thern^ I zvill make my Abode with hi?n ;" to hav^ his Commandments is to know them, and to keep his Commandments is to love them, for it is alfo faid The Divine Providence. 75 faid there, he who keepeth my Commandments y he it is who loveth Me, 34. III. That Man^ in Proportion as he is more hearly conjoined to the Lordy in the fame Proportion he- Cometh ivifcr, Forafmuch as there are three Degrees of Life in Man by Creation, and thence by Nativity, of which above, n. 32, there are efpecially three Degrees of Wifdom in him ; thefe are the Degrees which are opened in Man according to Conjundion 5 they are opened according to Love, for Love is Con- jundion itfelf : But the Afcent of Love according to Degrees is not perceived except obfcurely by Man, whereas the Afcent of Wifdom is clearly perceived in thofe who know and fee what Wifdom is. The Rea- fon why the Degrees of Wifdom are perceived, is be-, caufe Love entereth by the AfFedions into the Per- ceptions and Thoughts, and thefe (liew themfelves in the internal Sight of the Mind, which correfponds to the external Sight of the Body ; hence it is that Wifdom appeareth, and not fo the Affedion of Love which produceth it ; The Cafe is the fame with all Things which are done actually by Man ; it is per- ceived how the Body operates them, but not how the Soul does ; fo alfo it is perceived how a Man meditates, perceives, and thinks, but not how the Soul of thefe, which is the Affection of Good and Truth, produceth them. But there are three De- grees of Wifdom, the natural, fpiritual, and celef. tial ; Man is in the natural Degree of Wifdom while he liveth in the World ; this Degree then can be perfected in him to its Height, and yet he cannot enter into the fpiritual Degree, becaufe this Degree is not continued from the natural Degree by Conti- nuity^ ^6 Angelic Wisdom concerning nuity, but is joined to it by Correfpondences : Man is in the fpiritiial Degree of Wifdom afcer Death, and this Degree alfo is fuch, that it can be perfed- ed to its Height, but yet cannot enter the celeftial Degree of Wifdom, bccaufe neither is this Degree continued from the fpiritual by Continuity, but is joined to it by Correfpondences : Hence it may ap- pear, that Wifdom can be elevated in a triplicate Ratio, and that in each Degree it can be perfeded in a fimple Ratio to its Height. He who compre^ hendeth the Elevations and Perfections of thefe De* grees, can in fome Meafure perceive that, which i? faid of Angelic Wifdom, that it is ineffable ; this al* fo is fo ineffable, that a thoufand Ideas of Thought of the Angels from their Wifdom cannot prefent more than one Idea of the 1 bought of Men from their Wifdom ; thus 999 Ideas of the Thought of Angels cannot enter, for they are fupernatural : That this is the Cafe, hath been given me often to know by lively Experience. But, as was faid be- fore, no one can come into that ineffable Wifdom of the Angels, but by Conjunftion with the Lord, and according to it, for the Lord only openeth the fpiritual Degree and the celeflial Degree, but only in thofe who are wife from him ; and they are wife from the Lord, who cafl out the Devil, that is, Evil from themfelves. 35. But let not any one believe, that a Perfon hath Wifdom becaufe he knoweth many Things, and perceiveth them in a certain Light, and can fpeak them intelligently, unlefs this be conjoined to Love ; for Love by its Affe6lions produceth it ; if }i is not conjoined to Love, it is like a Meteor in the Air The Divine Providence. 77 Air which vanilheth, and like a falling Star ; but Wifdom conjoined to Love is like the permanent Light of the Sun, and like a fixed Star : Man hath the Love of Wifdom, in Proportion as he hath an Averfion to the diaboHcal Crew, which are the Con- cupifcences of Evil and the Falfe. 36. Wifdom, which cometh to Perception, is the Perception of Truth from the Affeftion thereof, ef- pecially the Perception of fpiritual Truth ; for there is civil Truth, moral Truth, and fpiritual Truth ; they who are in the Perception of fpiritual Truth from the Affed:ion thereof, are alfo in the Percep- tion of moral and civil Truth, for the Affedion of fpiritual Truth is the foul of them. I have fome^ times difcourfed with the Angels concerning Wif- dom, who faid, that Wifdom is Conjunction with the Lord, becaufe the Lord is Wifdom itfelf, and that he cometh into that Conjunction who rejedeth Hell from himfelf, and cometh into it in the fame Proportion as he rejecteth Hell : They faid that they reprefented to themfelves Wifdom as a magnificent and highly adorned Palace, to which there is an Af- cent by twelve Steps ; and that no one cometh to the firft Step, but from the Lord by Conjunclion with him, and that every one afcendeth according to Conjundion, and that as he afcends he perceiveth, that no one is wife from himfelf, but from the Lord : Alfo that the Things which he knoweth, (faplt^) comparatively with thofe which he doth not know, are like a few Drops to a great Lake. By the twelve Steps to the Palace of Wifdom, are fignified GoodnefTes conjoined to Truths and Truths con- joined to Goodneffes. Z1' IV. 78 Angelic Wisdom concerning 37. IV. That Man, in Proportion as he is more nearly conjoined to the Lord^ in the fame Proportion bccometh happier. The fame Things which are faid above, n. 32 to 34, of the Degrees of Life and of Wifdom according to Conjunction with the Lord, may alfo be faid of the Degrees of FeHcity ; for Fe- licities or Beatitudes and Delights afcend, as the fu- perior Degrees of the Mind, which are called fpirit- ual and celeftial, are opened in Man, and thefe De- grees after his Life in the World increafe to Eter* nity. 38, No Man, who is in the Delights of the Con- cupifcences of Evil, can know any thing of the De- lights of the AfFedions of Good, m which the An- gelic Heaven is, for thefe Delights are altogether oppofite to each other in Internals, and thence inte- riorly in Externals, but in the Surface itfelf there is but little Difference : For every Love hath irs De- lights, even the Love of Evil in thofe who are in Concupifcences, as the Love of committing Adulte- ry, of revenging, defrauding, dealing, committing Outrages, yea in the mofl Wicked of blafpheming the holy Things of the Church, and fpitting out their Virulence againft God ; the Source of thefe Delights is the Love of Dominion from the Love of Self : Thefe Delights are from the Concupifcences which pofiefs the Interiors of the Mind, flow from them into the Body, and there excite UncleannefTes, which titillate the Fibres ; thence, from the Delight of the Ivlind according to its Concupifcences, arifeth Delight of the Body ; of what Kind the unclean Things are, which titillate the Fibres of their Bod- ies, it is given every one to know after Death, in the fpiritual The Divine Providence. 79 fplntual World ; they are in general cadaverous, excrementitious, ftercoraceous, filthy, and urinous Matters, for their Hells abound with fuch unclean Things ; which, that they are Correfpondences, fee fome Palfages in the Treatife on The Divine Love AND THE Divine Wisdom, n. 422 to 424 : But thefe foul Delights, after they enter into Hell, are turned into direful PuniQiments. Thefe Thin2:s are faid, that it may be underllood what is the Na- ture of the Felicity of Heaven, of which in what now follows y for every Thing is known from its Op- pofite. 39. The Beatitudes, BleiTjdnejTcs, Delights, and PleafantnelTes, in a Word the Felicities of Heaven^, cannot be defcribed in Words, but in Heaven they can be perceived by the Senfe ; for what is perceiv- ed by the Senfe alone, cannot be defcribed, becaufe it does not come within the Ideas of Thought, and confequently neither into Words ; for the Under- flanding alone fees, and fees the Things which are of Wifdom or of Truth, but not the Things which are of Love or of Good, wherefore thofe Felicities are inexpreffible, but ftill they afcend in a fimilar Degree with Wifdom ; the Varieties of them are infinite, and each of thefe ineffable : I have heard this, and I have perceived it. Thefe Felicities how- ever enter, as Man removeth the Concupifcences of the Love of Evil and the Falfe, as of himfelf, but flill of the Lord, for thofe Felicities are the Felicities of the Affections of Good and Truth, and thefe are oppofite to the Concupifcences of the Love of Evil and the Falfe : The Felicities of the AiTeftions of Good and Truth begin from the Lord, therefore from 8q Angelic Wisdom concerning from the Inmofl:, and thence diiFufe themfelves to the Inferiors, even to the Uhimates, and fo fill the Angel, and caufe hirn to be as it were all Delight. Such Felicities with infinite Varieties, are in every Affection of Good and Truth, efpecially in the Af-- feclion of Wildom. 40. The Delights of the Concupifcences of Evil, and the Delights of the Affedions of Good, cannot be compared, becaufe inwardly in the Delights of the Concupifcences of Evil the Devil is, and in- wardly in the DeHghts of the Affedions of Good the Lord is ; if they are to be compared, the De- lights of the Concupifcences of Evil can only be compared with the lafcivious Delights of Frogs in ftagnant V/aters, as alfo of Serpents in Stenches 5 but the Delights of the Affeftions of Good may be compared to the Delights of the Mind in Gardens and Shrubberies : For fimiiar Things to what affect Frogs and Serpents, alfo afFe6t thofe in the Hells who are in the Concupifcences of Evil, and fimiiar Things to what affed the Mind in Gardens and Shrubberies, alfo affeO: thofe in the Heavens wha are in the Affections of Good : For, as was faid above, corrciJ3ondent unclean Things affed . the Wicked, and correfpondent clean Things affed the Good. 41. Hence It may appear, that in Proportion as any one is more nearly conjoined to the Lord, in the fame Proportion he becometh happier : But this Happinefs rarely manifeffs itfelf in the World ; be- caufe Man is then in a natural State, and what is Natural doth not communicate with what is Sph-it- ual by Continuity, but by Correfpondences, and this Communication The Divine Providence. Si Communication is only felt by a certain Quiet and Peace of Mind, which is produced efpecially after Combats againfl; Evils : But when Man putteth off the natural State, and entereth into the fpiiitual State, as is the Cafe after his Departure out of the World, then the Felicity above defcribed fucceflive- ly manifefts itfelf. 42. V. That Aldfi, in Proportion as he is iiiore nearly conjoined to the Lord^ in the fame Froportioit {tppeareth to himfelf more diJihiBl'j io he his own^ and pcrceivcth more evidently that he is the Lord^s, In judging from Appearance one would fuppofe, that by hov/ much the nearer any one is conjoined to the Lord, by fo much the lefs he is his own ; there is fuch an Appearance with all the Wicked, and alfa ■with thofe who believe from Religion that they are not under the Yoke of the Law, and that no one can do Good from himfelf ; for both thefe Sorts of Perfons can fee no otherwife, than that not to be at Liberty to think and to will Evil, but only Good, is iiot to be at one's own Difpofal ; and becaufe they who are conjoined to the Lord neither will, nor can^ think and will evil, from the i^ppearance in them- felves they conclude, that this is to be not their own *, when neverthelefs it is altogether the con- trary. 43. There is infernal Liberty and there is celeflial Liberty ; to think and will Evil is from infernal Lib- erty, and fo far as civil and moral Laws do not pre- vent, to fpeak and do it ; but to think and will Good is from ccleiHal Liberty, and fo far as Oppor- tunity is given, to fpeak and do it : Whatfoever Man tlvtlketh, willeth, fpeaketh. and doeth froni ^'/ L Free-Will, 82 Angelic Wisdom concerning Free-Will, this he perceiveth as his own, for all Liberty is derived to Man from his Love ; where- fore they who are in the Love of Evil, perceive no otherwife, than that infernal Liberty is, real Liberty, but they who are in the Love of Good, perceive that celeflial Liberty is real Liberty, confequently that its Oppofite is Servitude to both : Still, however, it cannot be denied by any, but that one or the other is Liberty, for two Liberties in themfelves oppofite, cannot be Liberties ; moreover it cannot be denied, that to be led by Good is Liberty, and to be led by Evil is Servitude, for to be led by Good is to be led by the Lord, and to be led by Evil is to be led by the Devil : Now forafmuch as every Thing appear- eth to a Man as his own, which he doeth from Free- will or Liberty, for this is of his Love, and to ad: from his Love is to ad from Liberty, as was faid above, it follows, that Conjunction with the Lord caufeth Man to appear to himfelf free, and confe- quently his own ; and in Proportion as his Con- junftion is nearer with the Lord, in the fame Pro- portion freer, and confequently more his own. The Reafon why he appeareth to himfelf 77iore d'lftindly to be his own, is, becaufe the Divine Love is fuch, that what is its own it willeth to be another's, therefore to be Man's and AngePs ; all fpiritual Love is fuch, efpecially Divine Love : And befides the Lord never forceth any one, becaufe no one Thing, to which any one is forced appears as his own, and what doth not appear as his own, cannot be made of his Love, and fo appropriated to him as his own : Wherefore Man is led by the Lord continually in Freedom, and alfo is reformed and regenerated in Freedom. But on this The Divine Providence. 83 this Subjed more will be faid in what follows ; Something alfo may be feen above, n. 4. , 44. The Reafon however why Man, by how much the more diftindly he appeareth to himfelf as his own, by fo much the more evidently per- ceiveth that he is the Lord's, is, becaufe in Pro- portion as he is more nearly conjoined to the Lord, in the fame Proportion he becometh wifer, as was (hewn above, n. 34 to ^6, and Wifdom teacheth this, and he alfo perceiveth it : The Angels of the third Heaven, who are the wifeft of the Angels, alfo perceive this, and likewife call it Liberty itfclf ; but to be led by themfelves they call Servitude : They declare alfo the Reafon of this, viz. that the Lord doth not flow immediately into the Things which are of their Perception and Thought from Wifdom, but into the AiFeclions of the Love of Good, and through the latter into the former, and that they perceive the Influx in the AiFedion, whence is derived their Wifdom, and that then all which they think from Wifdom, appeareth as from themfelves, therefore as their own ; and that by this, reciprocal Conjunc- tion is elfedted. 45. Forafmuch as the Divine Providence of the Lord hath for its End an Heaven out of the Human Race, it follows that it hath for its End the Con- jundion of the Human Race with Itfelf, concerning which, n. 28 to 31 : Alfo that it hath for its End, that Man may be more and more nearly conjoined to It, of which, n. 32, 33, for thus he is an interior Heaven : As alfo that it hath for its End, that Man- by that Conjunction may become wifer, of which, n. 34 84 Angelic Wisdom concerning n. 34 to 36 ; and that he may become happier, of ■which, n. 'I'j to 41, becaufe Man paiTeireth Heaven from Wifdoni, and according to it ; and by it alfo Felicity : And laftly, that it hath for its End, that Man may appear to himfelf more diflindly as his own, and ilill may perceive more evidently that he is the Lord's, of which, n. 42 to 44. All thefe Things are of the Divine Providence of the Lord, becauie all thefe Things conftitute Heaven, which is the End propofed* That the Divine Providence of the Lord in all which it doeth^ hath Rejped to what is Infinite and Eternal. 46. TTT is w^ell known in the Chriftian World, J_ that God is Infinite and Eternal, for in the Dodrine of the Trinity, which hath its Name from Athanafms, it is faid that God the Father is Infinite, Eternal, and Omnipotent, in like Manner God the Son and God the Holy Ghoft, and that neverthelefs there are not three Infinites, Eternals, and Omnipo- tents, but One : From this it follows, that forafmuch as God is Infinite and Eternal, Nothing elfe but In- finite and Eternal can be predicated of God. But what Infinite and Eternal is, cannot be comprehends ed by Finite, and yet it can ; it cannot be compre- hended, becaufe Finite is not capable of Infinite ; p.nd it can be comprehended, becaufe there are given ^bflract i The Divine Providence. 85 abftra^l Ideas, by which it can be feen that Things exift, although not what their Quality is ; fuch Ideas are given of Infinite, as that God becaufe he is Infi- nite, or the Divine becaufe it is Infinite, is Efle itfelF, that it is Eflence and Subflance itfelf, that it is Love itfelf and Wifdom itfelf, or that it is Goodnefs itfelf and Truth itlbif, therefore that it is Itfelf, (Ipfu?n^J yea that it is Man hiinfelf or perfed Man ; as alio if it be faid that Infniite is All, thus that Infinite Wifdom is Omnifcience, and Infinite Pov/er is Om- nipotence. But ftill thefe Things fall but obfcurely within the Thought, and from being incomprchen- fible perhaps come to be denied, unlefs the Things which Thought deriveth from Nature, be abftraded from the Idea, efpecially what it deriveth from thofe two Things proper to Nature', Space and Time, for thefe cannot but end or terminate Ideas, and caule ab- ftradl Ideas to be, as it were, not arty Thing : But if thefe can be abfiradled by Man, as they are by an Angel, then Infinite can be comprehended by the Things above recited ; and it can alfo be compre- hended that Man is Something, becaufe he was cre- ated by an Infinite God, who is All j alfo that Man is a fxuite Subflance, becaufe he was created by an Infinite God, who is Subflance itfelf ; as alfo, that Man is Wifdom, becaufe he was created by an Infi- nite God, who is Wifdom itfelf, and fo on ; for un- lefs the Infinite God were All, Subflance itfelf, and Wifdom itfelf, Man would not be any Thing, there- fore he would either be Nothing, or only an Idea of being, or an ideal Being, according to thofe Vifiona- ries, who are called Idealifls. From what is fhewn in the Treatife on The Divine Love and the Divine 86 A];, frora the Divine Providence of the Lord, is left to every one. Spiritual Liberty is grounded in the Love of Eternal Life ; into this Love 2nd its Delight none cometh, but he who thinks that Evils are Sins, and therefore doth not will them, and at the fame Time hath Refped to the Lord : As foon as Man doeth this, he is in that Lib- erty ; for no one hath power not to will Evils becaufe they are Sins, and therefore not to do them, except it be from interior or fuperior Liberty, which is from his interior or fuperior Love. This Liber- ty doth not appear in the Beginning as Liberty, but ftill it is fo, and afterwards it appeareth to be fo, and then Man acleth from real Liberty according to real Reafon, by thinking, willing, fpeaking, and %ing ^HE Divine Providence. tii doing what Is good and true. This Liberty increaf- cth, as natural Liberty decreafeth and becometh a Servant, arid it joineth itfelf with rational Libert)^, and purifieth it. Every one may come into this Liberty, if fo be he wiileth to think that there is fuch a Thing as eternal Life, and that the DeHght and BlefTednefs of Life in Time for a Time, is only as a tranfient Shadow, compared with the DeHght and BlefTednefs of Life in Eternity to Eternity ; and this a Man may think if he will, becaufe he hath Ration- ality and Liberty, and becaufe the Lord, from whom thefe two Faculties are derived, continually giveth" him Power. 74. IL That whatfoever a Man doeth from Libera iy, whether it be of Reafoji or not of Reafon, provided it be accordmg to his Reafon, appeareth to him as his own. What Rationality is, and what Liberty, which are proper to Man, cannot be known more clearly, than by a Comparifon of Men with Bealls, for the latter have not any Rationality or Faculty of under- flanding, nor any Liberty or Faculty of wiUing free- ly, and thence they have no Underflanding and Will, but inftead of Underibnding they have Sci- ence, and inftead of Will Affedtion, both natural : And whereas they have not thefe two Faculties, therefore neither have they Thought, but inftead of Thought internal Sight, which maketh one with their external Sight by Correfpondence. Every Affection hath its Companion as a Confort ; the Affedion of natural Love hath Science, the Affedion of fpiritual Love Intelligence, and the Affection of celeftial Love Wifdonl : For Affedlon without its Companion, or as it were connubial Partner, is not any 112 Angelic Wisdom concerning any Thing, for it is like an Eife (Being) without Exiftence, or like a Sabftance without a Form, of \\'hich not any Thing can be predicated ; hence it is, that in every created Thing there is Something, which may be referred to the Marriage of Good and Truth, as hath been abundantly fhewn above ; in Bead s there is a Marriage of Affedion and Science, the AfTeclion herein being that of natural Good, and the Science that of natural Truth. Now foraf- iDUx:h as Affection and Science in Beafls ad entirely as one, and their AfFedion canot be elevated above their Science, neither can their Science be elevated above their Affedion, and if they are'elevated, they are elevated both together, and forafmuch as they have not any fpiritual Mind, to which, or into the Light and Heat of which they can be elevated, there- fore they have not the Faculty of underflanding or Rationality, nor the Faculty of willing freely or Liberty, but only mere natural Affedion with its Science ; the natural Affedion, which they have, is the Affedion of feeding themfelves, providing an Habitation, propagating their Kind, fhunning and flying from Harm, with all Science or Knowledge requifite thereto ; and forafmuch as their State of Life is fuch, they cannot think within themfelves, I will do this, and will not do that, nor can they think,- 1 know or do not know fuch a Thing, ftill lefs, I underftand fuch a Thing, or 1 love fuch a Thing, but they are carried away of their particular Affec- tion by Science, without Rationality and Liberty- The Caufe or Ground of their being fo carried away is not from the natural, but from the fpiritual World ; for there doth not exifl any Thing in the natural World The Divine Providence. 113 World^ unGonneflcd with the fpiritual World ; ev- ery Caufe producing an Eil\^cl is from thence : Son)ethin'g on this Subject may be fccii alio below, n. 96. y^. It iii otherwife with Man, who hath not only the AfFe6"^ion of natural Love, but alio the Affedion of fpiritual Love, and the Affection of celeftid Love j for the Human Mind is of three De^i^rees, as was ihewn in the Treatifc concerning The Divine Love and Tpie Divine Wisdom, Part the Third : Wherefore Man can be elevated from natural Sci- ence into fpiritual Intelligence, and from thence into celeitial WilUom, and from thefe two, Intelligence and Wifdom, can look up to the Lord, and fo be joined unto him, whereby he liveth to Eternity ; but this Elevation as to Affection would not be pof- fible, if he had not the Faculty of elevating his Un- deritanding from a Principle of Rationality, and willing to do fo from a Principle of Liberty. Man by thefe two Facuhies can think within himfelf of the Things which he perceiveth with his bodily Senfes without himfelf, and can alfo think fupcrioi ly (or in a fuperior Sphere) of the Things which he thinketh inferiorly (or in an inferior Sphere :) For every one can fay, I thought this or I think this, alfo I willed this and I will this, and likewife I under- ftand this that it is fo, I love this becaufe it i^ fuch, and fo on ; hence it is evident, that Man thinketh even above Thought, and feeth the thinking Princi- ple as it were below him ; this [Faculty] Man hath from Rationality and from Liberty, from Rationali- ty in that he can think fuperiorly (or in a fuperior Sphere,) from Liberty in that from Affe6tion he I*' willeth 114 Angelic Wis^dom concerning willeth fo to think, for if he had not the Liberty of fo thinking, he v/ould not have the Will, and confequently neither the Thought. Wherefore they who will not underfland any Thing but what is of the World and its Nature, and not what is moral and fpiritual Good and Truth, cannot be ele- vated from Knowledge or Science into Intelligence, and Hill lefs into Wildom, for they have obftrudled thofe Faculties •, wherefore they make themfelves to be no further Men, than that from their inherent Rationahty and Liberty they can underfland if they will, and alfo that they have the Power to wilL From thefe two Faculties Man hath the Power to think, and from Thought to fpeak ; in other Fac- ulties Men are not Men, but Beads, and indeed from the Abufe of thefe Faculties worfe than Beads. 76. Every one from Rationality not obfcured may fee or comprehend, that Man, without an Ap- pearance that it is his own, cannot be in any Affec- tion of knowing, nor in any Affeclion of underiland- ing, for all Delight and Pleafure, therefore every Thing of the Will, i& from the Affe6l:ion which is of Love ; who can will to know and will to underfland, unlefs he hath fome Pleafure of Affection ? And who can have that Pleafure of AfFedion, unlefs that by which he is affeded appeareth as his own ? If it were none of his, but all of another^s, that is, if any one from his own Affedions fhould infufe any Thing into the Mind of another, who had no Affedions of knowing and underflanding as from himfelf, would the other receive it, yea, would he be able to re- ceive it, would he not be as that which is called * Brute^, The Divine Providente* xij^ Brute, or as a Stock ? Hence it may appear mani- feftly, that although every Thing enters by Influx, •which a Man perceiveth and thence thinketh and knoweth, and according to Perception willeth and doeth. Hill it is of the Divine Providence of the Lord, that it Ihould appear as Man's, for otherwife, as was obferved, Man would receive Nothing, there- fore could not be gifted with any Intelligence and Wifdom. It is well known, that all Good and Truth is not Man's but the Lord's, and yet that it appeareth to Man as his ov/n, and forafrnuch as all Good and Truth fo appeareth, all Things alfo of the Church and of Heaven, therefore all Things of Love and \¥ifdom, alfo of Charity and Faith, fo ap- pear, and yet none of them is Man's ; no one can receive them from the Lord, unlefs it appears to him that he perceiveth them as from himfelf. From thefe Confiderations this Truth may be mamfed:, that whatfoever a Man doeth from Liberty, whether it be of Reafon or not of Reafon, provided it be according to his Reafon, appeareth to him as his own. 77. Who is not able to underdand, by Virtue of his Faculty, which is called Rationality, that this or that Good is ufeful to the Community, and that thi^ or that Evil is noxious to the Community, as that Juflice, Sincerity, and conjugal Chaftfty, are ufeful to the Community, and that Injuflice, Infmcerity^ and Whoredom committed with the Wives of oth- ers, are noxious to the Community ; confequently that thefe Evils in themfelves are mifchievous, and that thofc Goods in themfelves are beneficial ? Who therefore, if he be fo difpofed, cannot make thofe Goods xi6 Angelic Wisdom concerning Goods and Evils the Goods and Evils of his Reafon, jnahnuch as he hath Rationality, and he hath L-ber* ty ? And his Rationality and Liberty difciofe ihem- fclves, appear, govern, and give him to perceive andl tp have Fewer, in Proportion as he for the above Reafons (l^unncth the above Evils in himfeif, and in. Proportion as he doeth this, in the fame Proponion he refpe^teth the above Goods, as a Friend his Friends. From thefe Confiderations it is in Man's Povv'er afterwards, by Virtue of his Faculty, which is called Rationality, to form Conclufions refpeding the Goods which are ufeful to the Community in the ipiritual World, and refpeding the Evils which are there noxious, if fo be inH-ead of Evils he per-^ ceiveth Sins, and inilead of Goods "Works of Char* ity ; thele Conclufions alfo a Man may make the Conclufions of his Reafon, if he will, becaufe he hath Rationality and Liberty, and his Rationality and Liberty difciofe themfelves, appear, govern, and give him to perceive and to have Power, in Propor- tion as he,fl:iunneth the above Evils as Sins, and in Proportion as he doeth this, in the fame Proportion he refpedeth the Goods of Charity, as one Neigh- bour ddth another mutually froin Love. Now^ for^ afmuch as the Lord, for the Sake of Reception and Conjundion, willeth, that whatfoever Man doeth freely according to Reafon, may appear to him as his own, and this is according tq Reafon itfelf, it fol- lows, that Man can, by Virtue of Reafon, becaufe it is his eternal Felicity, be willing to lluiji the above Evils as Sins, and by imploring the Divine Powey of the Lord, can efied what he willeth. 78, III. The Divine Providence. 117 78. III. Thai ivhatfoever Man doeth from Liberty according to bis Thought^ is appropriated to him as his own^ and remaineth ; the Reafon is, becaufe the Pro- prium of Man and his Liberty make one ; the Pio- prium of Man is of his Life, and what Man doeth from his Life, that he doeth from Liberty ; more- over the Proprium of Man is what is of his Love, for Love is the Life of every one, and what ]\Lin doeth from his Life's Love, that he doeth from Lib- erty. The Ground and Reafon why Man a6ceth from Liberty according to his Thought, is, becaufe ^whatever is of the Life or of the Love of any one, is alfo the Objed; of Thought, and is by Thought confirmed, and when it is confirmed, then he doeth it from Liberty according to his Thought ; for what- foever a Man doeth, he doeth from the Will by the Underflanding, and Liberty is of the Will, and Thought is of the Underilanding. Man can alfo ad from Liberty contrary to Reafon ; and likewife not from Liberty according to Reafon ; but fuch Ads are not appropriated to Man, being only the Ads of his Lips and of his Body, and not of his Spirit or of his Heart ; but the Ads which are of his Spirit and of his Heart, when they are alfo made the Ads of his Lips and of his Body, thefe are ap- propriated to Man : That this is the Cafe, might be illuilrated by many Ccnfiderations, but this is not the proper Place for fuch Illuftration. By being appropriated to Man is meant to enter his Life, and to be made of his Life, confequently to be made his , own or his Proprium. But that Man hath not any Thing which is proper to himfelf (any Proprium,) but that it appearcth to himfelf to be fo, will be feen ii8 Angelic Wisdom concerning ^een in what follows : We fhall here only obferve, that all the Good which a Man doeth from Liberty according to Reafon, is appropriated to him as his own, becaufe in thinking, willing, fpeaking, and ailing, it appeareth to him as his own ; neverthelefs Good is not of Man, but is of the Lord in Man, as may be feen above, n. 76. But how Evil is appro- priated to Man, will be feen in its proper Article. 79. It is faid alfo, that whatever a Man doeth fi-om Liberty according to his Reafon remaineth ; for no one Thing which Man hath appropriated to himfelf can be eradicated, inafmuch as it is made an Objed of his Love, and at the fame Time of his Reafon, or of his Will, and at the fame Time of his Underftanding, and thence of his Life : This may indeed be removed, but yet not call out ; and when it is removed, it is transferred as it were from the Centre to the Circumference, and there abideth :, This is meant by its remaining. As for example ; if a Man in his Childhood and Youth hath appro- priated to himfelf a certain Evil by doing it from the Delight of his Love, as if he hath defrauded, blafphemed, revenged, committed Whoredom, then forafmiich as he had done thefe Things from Lib- erty according to his Thought, he hath alfo appro- priated them to himfelf -, but if he afterwards re- penteth, Ihunneth them, and coniiders them as Sins which are to be abhorred, and thus from Liberty according to Reafon defideth from them, then there are appropriated to him Goods, to which thofe Evils are oppofite ; thefe Goods then make the Centre, and remove the Evils towards the Circumference, further and further, according to his Averfion and Abhorrence The Divine Providence. ng Abhorrence thereof; but dill they cannot be fo cad out, as to be faid to be extirpated ; neverthelefs by that Removal they can appear as it were extirpa- ted ; which is effefted by Man's being detained from Evils, and held in Goods by the Lord : U'his is the Cafe with all hereditary Evil, and at the fame Time with all adual Evil of Man : This alfo I have feen proved by Experience with fome in Heaven, who, becaufe they were kept in Good by the Lord^ thought themfelves to be without Evils ; but to pre- vent their thinking that the Good in which they were, was their own, they were let down from Heaven, and let into their Evils, till they acknowl- edged that they were in Evils from themfelves, but in Goods from the Lord ; after which Acknowl- edgment they were carried back into Heaven. Be it known therefore, that thefe Goods are no other- wife appropriated to Man, than that they are con- ftantly of the Lord in Man, and that in Proportion as Man acknowledgeth this, in the fame Proportion the Lord granteth, that Good may appear to Man as his own, that is, that Man may appear to himfelf to love his Neighbour or to have Charity as from himfelf, to believe or to have Faith as from himfelf, to do Good and to underftand Truth as from him- felf, therefore to be wife as from himfelf ; from which Confiderations every enlightened Perfon may fee, what and how fnong the Appearance is, in which the Lord willeth that Man fnould be, and the Lord willeth this for the Sake of his Salvation, for no one without that Appearance can be faved. On this Subjeci:, fee alfo what is fhewn above, n* 42 to 45. 80. Nothing I20 Angelic Wisdom concerning 80. Nothing is appropriated to Man which he only thinketh, yea, neither which he thinketh to will, except he at the fame Time willeth it to fiich a De- gree, that, when Opportunity is given, he doeth it ; the Reafon is, becaufe when Man doeth it from this Ground, he doeth it from the Will by the Under- ftanding, or from the Affcdion of the Will by the Thought of the Underftanding : But fo long as it is an Obje£l of the 1 bought only, it cannot be ap- propriated, becaufe the UnderFcanding doth not join itfelf with the Will, or the Thought of the Under- flanding doth not join itfelf with the AiFedion of the Will, but t'liQ Will and its AfFedion joineth it* felf with the Under (landing and its Thought, as is fhewn abundantly in the Treatife on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, Part the Fifth. This is m^ant by thefe Words of the Lord, ''Not that which goetb into the Mouth defileth a Man^ bid that which comeih out of the Heart through the Mouthy that defileth a Man^' Matth. xv. 11, 17, 18, 19 ; by the Mouth in a fpiritual Senfe is meant the Thought, becaufe the Thought fpeaketh by the Mouth ; and by the Heart in that Seufe is meant the Affedion, which is of Love ; if a Man thinketh and fpeaketh from this Affection, then he defileth himfeif : By the Heart alfo is fignified the Affection v/hich is of Love or of the Will, and by the Mouth the fhought which is of the Underflanding, in Luke, Chap. vi. 45. 81. The Evils which a Man thinketh allowable, although he doeth them not, are alfo appropriated to him, for Allovv'ablenefs in Thought is from the Will, inafmuch as it is Confent j v/herefore when a Man The Divine Providence* i^i Man thinketh any Evil allowable, he loofeneth inter- nal Rellraint relpeding it, and is kept from doing it only by external Reftraints, which are Fears ; and whereas the Spirit of the Man favoureth that Evil, therefore when external Reilraints are remov- ed, he doeth it freely ; and in the mean Time he continually doeth it in his Spirit : But on this Sub- ject fee The Doctrine of Life for th£ Nlw Jerusalem, n. io3 to 113. 82. IV. That Alan by tbefe two Facidtics is re- formed and regenerated by the Lord ; and that iviih- out ihcni he cannot be reformed and regenerated. The Lord teacheth that unlefs a Man 'be born again, he cannot fee the Kingdom of God, John iii. 3, 5, 7 ; but what it is to be born again, or to be regenerate, is known to few : The Reafon is, becaufe it hath not been known what Love and Charity are, and therefore neither what Faith is, for he who doth not know what Love and Charity are, cannot know what Faith is, becaufe Chanty and Faith make one, like Good and Truth, and hke AiTcdion which is of the Will, and Thought which is of the Under- flanding ; concerning v/hich Union, fee the Treatife on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, n. 427 to 431 ; alfo The Doctrine of the Nev/- Jerusalem, n. 13 to 24* And above, n. 3 to 20. 83. The Reafon why no Man can enter into the Kingdom of God, unlefs he be born again, is, becaufe Man by an hereditary Principle from his Parents is born to all kinds of Evils, with a Faculty that by the removal of thofe Evils he can be made fpiritual, and unlefs he be made fpiritual he cannot enter into Heav- en ; from natural to be made fpiritual, is to be born, 122 Angelic Wisdom concerning arralii, cr to be reQ-enerated. But in Order that it may be known how Man is regenerated, thefe three Things are to be confidered ; what his firlt State is, which is a State of Damnation ; what his fecond State is, which is a State of Reformation ; and what his third State is, which is a State of Regeneration. The firjl State of Man ^ which is a State of Damnation y every Man hath by an hereditary Principle from his Parents, for Man is thence born to the Love of Self and the Love of the World, and from thefe Loves as Fountains, to Evils of all Kinds ; the De- lights of thefe Loves are the Delights by which he is led, and thefe Delights caufe him not to know that he is in Evils ; for every Delight of Love is felt no otherwife than as Good ; wherefore alfo Man, un- lefs he is regenerated, knoweth no other than that to love himfelf and the World above all 1 hings, is eilential Good, and that to domineer over all, and polTefs the Wealth of all ethers, is the fupreme Good r Tills is the Ground of all Evil, for he re- gardeth no other Perfon from a Principle of Love •but himfelf alone, and if he regardeth another from a Principle of Love, it is as one Devil regardeth another, or as one Thief another, when they ad as one. They who confirm in themfelves thefe Loves, and the Evils flowing from them, from the Delight thereof, remain natural and become fenfual-corpo- real ; and m their own Thought, which is that of their Spirit, they are infane ; but ftill they can, while they are in the World, fpeak and ad ration- ally and wifely, inafmuch as they are Men, and con- fequently have Rationality and Liberty, yet this alfo they do from the Love of Self and of the World, Thefe The Divine Providence. 123 Thefe after Death, when they become Spu'Its, can- not have any other Delight, than that which they had in their Spirit in the World, and that Delight, is the Delight of infernal Love, which is turned into undelightful, dolorous, and dire, which in the Word is meant by Hell-Torment and Hell-Fire. Hence it is evident that the fir ft State of Man is a State of Damnation ; and that they are in it, who do not fuifcr themfelves to be regenerated. Thcfccond State of Man, zu/jIc/j is a State of Reformation, is, when Man beginncth to think of Heaven from the Joy that is therein, and thus to think of God, from whom he hath the Joy of Heaven ; at firft, how- ever, he thinks thus from the Delight of the Love of Self, heavenly Joy being to him that Delight ; but fo long as the Delight of that Love reigns, to- gether with the Delights of the Evils flowing there- from, he cannot underftand othervvife, than that to go to Heaven is to pour out Prayers, to hear Preach- ings, to receive the Lord's Supper, to give to the Poor, to help the Needy, to endow Churches and Hofpitals, and fuch like Things ; neither doth Man in this State know other wife, than that barely to think the Things, which Religion teacheth, efl^ecteth Salvation, whether it be that which is called Faith, or that which is called Faith and Charity : The Reafon why he underflandeth no other, than that to think thefe Things elfedeth Salvation, is, becaufe he thinkcth Nothing of the Evils, in the Delights of which he is, and fo long as their Delights remain, the Evils alfo remain, inafmuch as the Dehghts thereof arife from the Concupifcence of them, which Concupifcence (Continually infpireth them and alfo produceth ^24 Angelic Wisdom concerning produceth them, when no Fear operates to prevent it. So long as Evils remain in the Goncupifcences, and thence in the Delights of the Love of them, there is not any Faith, Charity, Piety, Worfhip, ex- cept only in Externals, vi^hich caufe thofe Virtues to appear before the World as if they exiited, but yet do not exill : They may therefore be compared to Waters flowing from an impure Fountain, which cannot be drunk. So long as Man is fuch, that he thinketh of Heaven and of God from Religion, and Nothing of Evils as Sins, he is (tiil in his firfl State : But he cometh into the fecond State, or State of Reformation, when he beginneth to think that there is fuch a Thing as Sin, and more fo when he think- eth that this or that is a Sin, and when he exploreth It a little in himfcif, and willeth it not. The third State of Man, luhich is a State of Regeneration, is a Taking up and Continuation of the prior State, and beginneth when Man defifleth from Evils as Sins, and proceedeth as he fhunneth them, and is perfect- ed as he fighterh againft them, and in this Cafe as Man overcometh from the Lord, he is regenerated. With the regenerate Man the Order of Life is invert- ed, and from natural he is made fpiritual ; for the natural Principle feparated from the fpiritual is con- trary to Order, and the fpiritual Principle is accord- ing to Order 5 wherefore a regenerate Man adeth from Charity, and maketh that the Principle of his Faith, which is the Principle of his Charity. But itill he is made no more fpiritual, than in Proportion as he is in Truths ; for every Man is regenerated by Truths, and by a Life according to them ; for by Truths he knoweth Life^ and by Life he doeth Truths J The Divine Providence. 12^ Truths ; thus he conjoineth Goodnefs and Truth, which is the fpiritual Marriage, in which is Heaven. S^. The Ground and Reafon why Man is re- formed and regenerated by thofe two FacuUies, w^hich are called Rationality and Liberty, and that without them he cannot be reformed and regenera- ted, is, becaufe by Rationality he can un^erlhnd and know what Evil is, and what Good is, and thence what is falfe and what is true ; and by Lib- erty he can will that which he underftandeth and knoweth : But fo long as the Delight of the Love of Evil reigneth, he cannot freely will what is good and true, and m.ake them Principles of his Reafon, wherefore he cannot appropriate them to himfelf ; for, as was (hewn above, the Things which a Man doeth from Liberty according to Reafon, are appro- priated to him as his own, and unlefs they are ap- propriated as his own, Man is not reformed and regenerated ; and then firft he acleth from the De- light of the Love of Goodnefs and Truth, when the Delight of the Love of Evil and Falfe is removed ; for two Delights of Love oppofite to each other are not given at the fame Time ; to acl from the De- light of Love, is to act from Liberty, and forafmuch as the Reafon favoureth the Love, it is alfo to acl according to Reafon. 86. Foiafmuch as Man, as well he who is wicked as he who is good, hath RationaHty and Liberty, a wicked as well as ri good Man can underftand Truth and do Good, but a wicked Man cannot do fo from Liberty according to Reafon, whereas a good Man can, becaufe a wicked Man is in the Delight of the J-,ove of Evil, but a good Man is in the Delight of . V the 126 Angelic Wisdom concerning the Love of Good ; wherefore the Truth which a wicked Man underflahdeth, and the Good which he doeth, are not appropriated to him,, but they are appropriated to a gqod Man ; and without Appro- priation as his own. Reformation and Regeneration are not given, for Evils with Fauces are with the Wicked as it were in the Centre, and Goods with Truths in the Circumference ; but Goods with Truths with the Good are in the Centre, and Evils with Falfes in the Circumference ; and in both Cafes the Things which are of the Centre diffufe themfelves to' the Circumference, as Kcat from Fire in the Centre, and Cold from Ice in the Centre ; thus Good in the Circumference with the Wicked is defiled by the Evils of the Centre, and Evils in the Circumference v/ith ijie Good are rendered mild by the Goods of the Centre ; and this is the Reafon, why Evils do not condemn a regenerate Man, and Goods do not fave an unregenerate Man. 87. V. That Man^ by Means of thofe Hvo Facul- ties^ can be fo far reformed and regenerated^ as he can by them be led to acknowledge^ that all the Truth and all the Goody which he thlnketh and doeth, is from the Lordy and not from himfclf What Reformation is, and what Regeneration, was faid above ; alfo that Man, by thofe two Faculties, Rationality' and Lib- erty, . is reformed and regenerated : And whereas this is effecled by thofe Faculties, it may be expedi- ent to fay Something more concerning them. Man by Virtue of Rationality hath Power to underiland, and by Virtue of Liberty Pov/er to will, both as from himfelf ; but the Power of willing Good from Lib- erty, and thence of doing it according to Reafon, no The Divine Providence. 127 no one hath but the Regenerate : A ^)jckcd Man from Liberty can only will Evil, and do it according^ to his Thought, which by Confirmations he maketh as it were of Reafon ; for Evil can be confirmed alike as Good, but Evil by Fallacies and Appear- ances, which, when they are confirmed, become Falfes, and when Evil is confirmed, it appeareth as of Reafon. 88. Every one, who hath any Thought from in- terior Underflanding, may fee, that the Power of willing (pojfe vellcj and the Power of underPiand- ing, is not i"rom Man, but from Kim who hath Pow- er itfelf (ipfum PoffcJ^ that is, who hath Power in its Effence : Confider only, Vv'hence is Power [Abil- ity, or to be able] ? Is it not from Plim who hath it in his own effential Power, that is, who hath it in Himfelf, and confequentTy from Himfelf ? Where- fore Power in itfelf is Divine. To all Power there mufl be Leave (Cop'ia)^ which is to be given, and thus a Determination from what is interior and fu- perior to Self; the Eye cannot fee from itfelf, nor the Ear hear from itfelf, neither can the Mouth fpeak from itfelf, nor the Hands a£l: from themfelves ; there mud be Leave given, and thence Determina- tion from the Mind; neither can the Mind think and will this or that from itfelf, unlefs there be Some- thing interior or fuperior which determines the Mind to it ; it is the fam.e with the Power of under- flanding and the Power of willing, thefe cannot be given by any other than by Him who in Himfelf can will and can underdand. From which Confidera- tions it is evident, that thofe two Faculties, which are called Rationality and Liberty, are from the Lord, 128 Angelic Wisdom concerning Lord, and not from Man ; and forafmuch as they are from the Lord, it follows, that Man willeth Noth- ing from himfelf, and underflandeth Nothing from himfelf, but only as it were from himfelf. That this is the Cafe, every one may confirm in himfelf^ who knoweth and believeth, that the Will of all Good, and th^ Underdanding of all Truth, is from the Lord, and not from Man. That Man cannot take any Thing from himfelf^ and cannot do any Thing from h'lnfef^ the Word teacheth in John, Ghap. \\u 27. Chap. XV. 5. 89. Now forafmuch as all Volition is from Love, and all Underftanding is from Wifdom, it follows, that to be able to will, or in other Words, the Pow- er of willing, is from the Divine Love, and to be able to underftand, or in other Words, the Power of underftanding, is frofti the Divine- Wifdom, therefore both from the Lord, who is Divine Love itfelf and Divine Wifdom itfelf. Hence it follows^ that to ad from Liberty according to Reafon, is from no other Source. Every one adteth according to Liberty, becaufe Liberty like Love cannot be fep-r arated from Volition ; but in Man there is given in- terior Volition or interior Will, and exterior Voli- tion or exterior Will, and he can acl according to the exterior, and at the fame Time not according to the interior ; in this Cafe he a£ls the Hypocrite and Flatterer ; and yet exterior Volition is from Liberty, becaufe it is from the Love of appearing otherwife than he is, or from the Love of fome Evil which from the Love of his interior Will he in- tendeth ; but, as was faid above, a wicked Man gannot from Liberty according to his Reafon do any The Divine Providence. 129 Siny Thing but Evil, for he cannot fi-om Liberty ac- cording to Reafon do Good ; he can indeed do Good, but not from interior Liberty, which is his proper Liberty, from which his exterior Liberty de- riveth this Property, that it is not Good. 90. It is faid that man can- be reformed and re- generated, in Proportion as by the above two Facul- ties he can be led to acknowledge that all the Good and all the Truth which he thinketh and doeth, is from the Lord, and not from himfelf: The Reafon Vv'hy Man cannot acknowledge this but by thofe two Faculties, is, becaufe thofe two Faculties are from the Lord, and they are of the Lord in Man, as h evident from what hath been faid above ; where- fore it follows, that Man cannot do this from him- felf, but from the Lord ; but (HU he can do it as it were from himfelf,this th^Lord giveth to every one: Let it be fuppofed that he belie vet h from himfelf, Hill when he becometh wdfe, he will acknowledge that it is not from himfelf, otherwife the Truth which he thinketh, and the Good which he doeth, is not true and good in itfelf, for the Man is in. them, and not the Lord in them, and Good in which a Man is, if it be for the Sake of Salvation, is meritorious Good, but Good in which the Lord is, is not meritorious. 91. But that the Acknowledgment of the Lord, and the Acknowledgment that all Good and all Truth is from Him, caufeth Man to be reformed and regenerated, is what few can fee with the Under- ftanding, for it may be thought, of what Confe- quence is that Acknowledgment, feeing the Lord is omnipotent, and willeth the Salvation of all, and thence can and will c&cd: it, if fo be he be moved R 10 130 Angelic Wisdom concerning to Compaffion ? But to think thus is not from the Lord, therefore neither is it from the interior Light of the Underilandings that iSj from any Illumination; wherefore what Acknowledgment operateth, we fiiali here briefly explain. In the fpiritual World, where Spaces are only Appearances, Wifdom pro- duceth Prefence, and Love prodaceth Conjundion ; and vice verfa : There is given an Acknowledgment of the Lord from Wifdom, and there is given an Acknowledgment of the Lord from Love ; the Ac* knowledgment of the Lord from Wifdom, which viewed in itfelf is only a Knowledge of him, is giv- en from Doctrine, and the Acknowledgment of the Lord from Love is given from a Life according to Dodrine ; the latter giveth Conjundionj but the for* mer Prefence: This is the Reafon, why they who rejed Dodlrine concerning the Lord, remove them- felves from him ; and inafmuch as they alfo reject Life, they feparate themfelves from him : Whereas they, who do not reject Doctrine, but Life, fuch are prefent, yet feparated : They are like Friends, who converfe together, but do not mutually love each other y and they are Uke two, whereof the one fpeak- eth with the other as a Friend, but hateth him as an Enemy. That this is the Cafe, is alfo known from the common Idea, that he who teacheth well, and liveth well, is faved, but not he who teacheth well and liveth ill ; alfo that he Vv^ho doth not ac- knowledge God, cannot be faved. From this Con- fideration it is evident, what Sort of a Religion it is, to think of the Lord from Faith, as it is called, and not to do any Thing from Charity ; wherefore the Lord faith, " Why call ye Me Lord, Lord^ and do not the The Divine Providence. 131 the Things which I fay ? Whofocver cometh to Me, and heareth 7ny Sayings, and doeth them, is hke a Man which built an Houfe, and laid the Foundation on a Rock : But he that heareth, and doeth not, is Hke a Man that without a Foundation built an Houfc upGii the Ground,^* Luke vi. 46 to 49. 9?, VI. That the Conjunction of the Lord with Man, and the reciprocal Conjundion of Man with the Lord, is tffeded by thofe two Faculties, Conjun^lion with the Lord and Regeneration are one, for in proportion as any one is conjoined to the Lord, in the fame Proportion he is regenerate : Wherefore all that is faid above of Regeneration may be faid of Conjunction, and what is he*e faid of Conjunc- tion may be faid of Regeneration. That there is a Conjunction of the Lord with Man, and a recipro- cal Conjundion of Man with the Lord, the Lord himfelf teacheih in John, " Abide in Me, and I in you ; whofo ahideth in Me, and I in him, the fame bearcth much Fruit ^^ xv. 4, 5. " /az that Day ycjhall know, that ye are in Me, and I in you^^ xiv. 20. Any one may fee from Reafon alone, that there is not any Conjundion of Minds, unlefs it be alfo recipro- cal, and that reciprocation conjoineth ; if one loveth another, and is not beloved in his Turn, in this Cafe, as the one approacheth, the other retireth ; but if he is beloved in Return, then ?s one approacheth, the other alfo approacheth, and Conjunction is eifecled ; for Love willeth to be beloved ; this is inherent in it, and in Proportion as It Is beloved again, in the fame Proportion it is in itfelf and in its Delight. Hence it is evident, that if the Lord only loveth Pvian, and were not in his Turn to be beloved by Man, the Lord would i'^2 Angelic Wisdom concerning v/ould approach, and Man would retire ; thus the Lord would continually will to meet Man, and to enter in to him, and Man would turn himfelf away and depart ; with thofe who are in Hell, this is the Cale, but with thofe who are in Heaven, there is a mutual Conjunction. Forafmuch as the Lord will- eth Conjundion with Man, for the Sake of his Salvation, he provideth alfo that in Man there ihould be Reciprocation or a reciprocal Principle ; the reciprocal Principle in Man is, that the Good which he willeth and doeth from Liberty, and the Truth which he thinketh and fpeaketh from that Will according to Reafon, fhould appear to him as be- ing from himfelf; and that that Good in his Will and that that Truth in his Underrtanding, lliould appear as his own ; yea, they appear to Man as from him- felf, and as his, altogether as if they were his own, there is no Difference ; attend only and confider, v/hether a Man with any one of his Senfes perceiv- eth otherwife ; of that Appearance as if from him- felf, fee above, n. 74 to "]"] ; and of Appropriation as his own, n. 78 to 8i : The only Difference is, that Man ought to acknowledge, that he doth not do Good and think Truth from himfelf, but from the Lord ; and confequently that the Good which he doeth, and the Truth which he thinketh, is not his own : To think thus from fome Degree of Love in the Will, becaufe it is the Truth, eft"e6i:eth Con- jundion ; for thus Man looketh to the Lord, and the Lord looketh to Man. 93. What the Difference is between thofe, who believe all Good to be from the Lord, and thofe who believe Good to be from themfelves, it hath been The Divine Providence. x^j been given both to hear and to fee in the fpiritual World : They who believe Good to be from the Lord, turn their Faces to him, and receive the De- light and Bleirednefs of Good ; but they who believe Good to be from themfelves, look to themfelves, and think with themfelves that they have deferved it; and forafmuch as they look to themfelves, they cannot but perceive the Delight of their own Good, which is not the Delight of Good, but the Delight of Evil ; for the Proprium of Man is Evil, and the Delight of Evil perceived as Good is Hell. They who have done Good, and thought it was from themfelves, if they do not after Death receive this Truth, that all Good is from the Lord, mix with infernal Genii, and at length 2.6: as one with them ; whereas they who receive the above Truth, are reformed ; but no others receive it, except thofe who have refpeded God in their Life : To refpect or look up to God in their Life, is Nothing elfe but to (hun Evils as Sins. 94. Conjundion of the Lord with Man, :ind re- ciprocal Conjunction of Man with the Lord, is eflecled by Man's loving his Neighbour as himfelf, and loving the Lord above all Things : To love his Neighbour as himfelf, is Nothing elfe but not to act infmcerely and unjuftly with him, not to hate him and burn with Revenge agaiiifl him., not to blaf- pheme and defame him, not to commit Adultery with his Wife, and not to do other fuch like Things againfl him : Who cannot fee, that they who do fuch Things, do not love their Neighbour as them- felves ? but they who do not do fuch Things, be- eaufe they are Evils againO: their Neighbour, the fame 134 Angelic Wisdom concerning fame deal fmcerely, juflly, friendly, and faithfully ■with their Neighbour, and forafmuch as the Lord doeth in like Manner, a reciprocal Conjunction is efFeded ; and when Conjundion is reciprocal, then whatfoever Man doeth to his Neighbour, he doeth from the Lord, and whatfoever Man doeth from the Lord is Good ; and then his Neighbour is not to him the mere Perfon, but Good in the Perfon. To love the Lord above all Things, is Nothing elfe, but net to do Evil to the Word, becaufe in the Word the Lord is, nor to do Evil to the holy Things of the- Church, becaufe in the holy Things of the Church the Lord is, nor to do Evil to the Soul of any one, becaufe the Soul of every one is in the Hand of the Lord ; they who fhun thefe Evils as enor- mous Sins, the fame love the Lord above all Things j but this no others can do, except fuch as love their Neighbour as themfelves, for Love to the Lord and neighbourly Love are conjoined together. 95. Forafmuch as there is a Conjunction of the Lord with Man, and of Man with the Lord, there- fore there are two Tables of the Law, one for the Lord, and the other for Man : In Proportion a^ Man, as from himfelf, doeth the Laws of his own Ta- ble, in the fame Proportion the Lord giveth him to do the Laws of his Table : But the Man who doth not do the Laws of his own Table, which all relate to the Love of his Neighbour, cannot do the Laws of the Lord*s Table, which all relate to the Love of the Lord : Hew can a Murderer, a Ihicf, an Adul- terer, and a falfe Witnefs, love the Lord ? Doth not Reafon dictate, that to be fuch, and to love the Lord^ is contradictory ? Is not the Devil fuch a one, The Divine Providence. 13J one, and can he do otherwile than hate the Lord ? But when Man turneth away from Murders, Adul- teries, Thefts, and falfe Teflimony, as infernal, then he can love the Lord, for then he turneth his Face from the Devil to the Lord, and when he turneth his Face to the Lord, Love and Wifdom. is given him, thefe Principles enterinsj into a Man by his Face, and not by the hinder Part of his Head. In^ afmuch as in this and in no other Manner Conjunc- tion with the Lord is effeded, therefore thofe two Tables are called the Covenant, and a Covenant is between two. 96'. VIL Thai the Lord preferveth thofe two Fac- ulties in Man inviolable^ and as it were facred^ in every FrogreJJion of his Dhnne Providence. The Reafons are, becaufe Man, without thofe two Fac- ulties, would not have Underilanding and Will, and therefore would not be Man j alio, becaufe Man, without thofe two Faculties, could not be conjoined to the Lord, and therefore could not be reformed and regenerated ; and further, becaufe Man, with- out thofe two Faculties, would not have Immortality and eternal Life. That this is the Cafe, may in* deed be feen, from the Knowledge of what Liberty and Rationality are, (which are thofe two Faculties,) which was fhewn in the foregoing Pages ; but it cannot be feen clearly, unlefs each Reafon be pre- fented to the View as a Conclufion, wherefore it may be expedient to illuflrate each. That Man without thofe two Facidties would not have Will and Underfianding^ and therefore wotdd not be Man ; for Man hath Will from no other Source than from the Power of willing freely as from himfelf ; and freely 136 Angelic Wisdom concerning freely to will, as from himfelf, is from the Faculty continually given him by the Lord, which is called Liberty ; and Man hath Underftanding from no other Source than from the Power he hath, as of himfelf, to underfland whether a Thing be of Rea- fon or not ; and to underiland whether it be of Reafon or not, is from that other Faculty continu- ally given him by the Lord, which is called Ration- ality. Thefe Facuhies join themfelves together in Man like the "Will and the Underftanding 5 as foF Initance, becaufe Man can will, he can alio under- fcand, for Volition is not given without Underftand- ing, Underftanding being its Confort or Compan- ion, without which it cannot be ^ wherefore with the Faculty, which is called Liberty, is given the Faculty which is called Rationality ; and further^ if you take away Volition from Underftanding, you underftand Nothing, and in Proportion as you will, in the fame Proportion you can underftand, provi- ded there be at Hand and at the fame 1 ime are opened thofe AfTiftances, which are called Knowl- edges, for thefe are like Inftruments in the Hands of Artificers : It is faid that in Proportion as you will, you can underftand, that is, in Proportion as you love to underftand, for Will and Love a6t as one ; this indeed appears as a Paradox, but it ap- pears fo to thofe only who do not love to under- ftand, and therefore will not, and they who will not, fay they cannot : But who they are that cannot underftand, and v/ho they that can with Difficulty underftand, will be fliewn in the following Article. Without Confirmation it is evident, that if Man had not Will from the Faculty which is called Lib* erty, The Divine Providence 137 erty, and Underflanding from the Faculty which is called Rationality, he would not be iMan. Beads have not thefe Faculties ; it appears as if Beads could alfo will, and could underfland, but they can- not ; it is natural AfFeftion, which m itfelf is Defire (Cupido,) with its concomitant Science, which alone leadeth and prompteth them to do what they do : There is indeed a civil and moral Principle in their Science, but they are not above Science, becaufe they have no fpiritual Principle, which giveth to perceive the moral Principle, and thence to think it analytically : They can indeed be taught to do any Thing, but this is only the natural Principle, which addeth itfelf to their Science, and at the fame Time to their Affection, and is re-produced either by Sight or by Hearing, but is never made a Principle of Thought, and flill lefs of Reafon in them : Some- thing on this Subject may be feen above, n. 74. That Man without thofe two Faculties could not be conjoined to the Lord^ and therefore could not be re^ formed and regenerated^ was diewn above ; for the Lord refideth in thofe two Faculties in Men, as well in the wicked as in the good, and by them he join- eth himfelf to every Man : Hence it is, that a wick- ed Man, as well as a good Man, can underfland, and hence a wicked Man hath in his Power tlia Will of Good and the Underflanding of Truth, and the Reafon why they are not in A<51, is from the Abufe of thofe Faculties. The true Ground and Caufe why the Lord, refideth in thofe Faculties in every Man, is from the Influx of the Will of the Lord, in that he willeth to be received by Man, and to make his Abode with him, and to give him S the 138 Angelic Wisdom concerning the Felicities of eternal Life ; tbefe Things are of the Will of the. Lord, becaufe they are of his Divine Love. It is this Will of the Lord, which caufeth it to appear in Man as of himfelf that he thinketh, fpeaketh, willeth, and adeth. That the Influx of the Will of the Lord hath this Operation, may be confirmed by many Particulars from the fpiritual V/orld ; for fometimes the Lord fiileth an Angel with his Divine Principle, fo that the Angel know- eth no other than that he is the Lord ; in this Manner were thofe Angels filled, who were feen by Abraham, Hagar, and Gideon, who therefore called themfelves Jehovah, of which Mention is made in the Word : So alfo can one Spirit be filled by another, until he doth not know but that he is the other, as hath often been feen by me : More- over it is know^n in Heaven, that the Lord operateth all Things by Volition fper Velle^J and that what he willeth is done. Hence it is evident, that thofe two Faculties are the Means, by which the Lord con- joineth himfelf to Man, and by which he caufeth Man to be reciprocally conjoined to him. But how Man by thofe two Faculties Is reciprocally conjoin- ed, confequently how by them he Is reformed and regenerated, was faid above, and more will be faid of It below. That Man without thofe two Faculties would not have Immorialiiy and Eternal Life^ follows from what hath jufl been faid, that by them there is efFecled Conjundlon with the Lord, and alfo Ref- ormation and Regeneration ; by Conjunftion Man hath Immortality, and by Reformation and Regen- eration eternal Life : And forafmuch as by thofe Faculties there is a Conjundion of the Lord with every The Divine Providence. 139 every Man, as well the Wicked as the Good, as was faid above, therefore every Man hath Immor- tality ; but he alone hath eternal Life, that is, the Life of Heaven, in whom there is a reciprocal Con- jundion from Intimates [inmofl Parts] to Ultlraates. Hence may be feen the Reafons, why the Lord pre- ferveth thofe two Faculties in Man inviolable, and as it were facred, in every Progreflion of his Divine Providence. 97. VIII. That therefore it is of the Diiune Prov- idence^ that Manfyidd a6l from Liberty according to Reafon, To a£i; from a free Principle according to Reafon, and to ad from Liberty and Rationality, is the fame Thing, as alfo to aft from the Will and the Und^rilanding ; but it is one Thing to ad from a free Principle according to Reafon, or from Lib- erty and Rationality, and another to acl from t^t\\- tial Freedom according to eil'ential Reafon, or from effential Liberty and eiTentiai Rationality ; becaufc the Man who doeth Evil from the Love of Evil.^ and confirms it in himfelf, the fame adclh indeed from Libert V according to Reafon, but neverthelefs his Liberty in itfelf is not Liberty, or not effentiai Liberty, but it is infernal Liberty, v/hich in itfelf is Slavery, and his Reafon in itfelf is not Reafon, but it is either fpurious or falfe Reafon, or Reafon only appearing fuch from Confirmations : But flill botli are of the Divine Providence ; for if the free Power of willing Evil, and of making it as it were a Princi- ple of Reafon by Confirmations, were taken away from the natural Man, Liberty and Rationality would perifn, and at tlie fame Time the Will and the Underilanding, and it would not be pofTible for him J40 Angelic Wisdom concerning him to be withdrawn from Evils, and reformed, nor coniequentiy to be conjoined to the Lord, and live to Eternity : Wherefore the Lord guardeth Liberty in Man, as Man guardeth the Apple of his Eye. But Hiil the Lord by Liberty continually withdraw- eth Man from Evils, and in Proportion as by Liber- ty he can withdraw him, in the fame Proportion by Liberty he implanteth Goods : thus fucceflively in Place of infernal Liberty he invefts him with celef- tial Liberty. 98. It was faid above, that every Man hath a Fac- ulty of willing, which is called Liberty, and a Fac- ulty of underllanding, which is called Rationality ; it is, however, well to be attended to, that thefe Fac- ulties are as it were inherent in Man, for the effen- tial Human Principle refides in them : But, as was obferved above, it is one Thing to act from Liberty- according to Reafon, and another to ad from efien- tial Liberty according to eflential Reafon : No oth- ers ad from efTential Liberty according to eifential Reafon, but they who have fuffered themfelves to be regenerated by the Lord ; the reft a£l from Lib- erty according to their Thought, which they make like unto Reafon. Nevcrthelefs, every Man, unlefs he be born an Idiot, or extremely flupid, may attain to elTential Reafon, and thereby to efTential Liberty ; the Caufes why he doth not attain thereto are fever- al, as will be fhewn in what follows : We fhall here only point out to whom efTential Freedom, or efTen- tial Liberty, and at the fame Time efTential Reafon, or efTential Rationality, cannot be given, and to whom they are given with Difficulty. EiTentiai Jjiberty and efTential Rationality cannot be given io thofe The Divine Providence, 141 thofe who are born Idiots ; nor to thofe who after- wards become Idiots, fo long as they remain fuch. ElTential Liberty and eflential Rationality cannot be given to fuch as are born ftupid and ftUy, nor to fome who become fuch from the Torpor of Idle- nefs, or from Sicknefs, which perverteth or entirely clofeth the Interiors of the Mind, or from the Love of a beallly Life. Neither can eflential Liberty and elfential Rationality be given to thofe in the Chrif- tian World, who altogether deny the Lord's Divin- ity, and the SanQity of the Word, and have kept this Negation confirmed in themfelves to the End of Life ; for this is underllood by the Sin againft the Holy Ghoil:, which is not forgiven in this World, nor in that which is to come, Matth. xii. 31, 32. Neither can eflential Liberty and efl~ential Rational- ity be given in thofe, who attribute all Things to Nature, and Nothing to the Divine Principle, and have made this a Part of their Faith by Reafonings from vifible Objeds ; for all fuch are Atheifts. Ef- fential Liberty and eflential Rationality are given with Difficulty in thofe who have confirmed them- felves much in Falfes of Religion ; becaufe the Con- firmer of what is Falfe is the Denier of Truth : But they who have not fo confirmed themfelves, may at- tain to true Liberty and Rationality, of whatfoever Religion they may be ; on which Subject fee what is adduced in Thje Doctrine of the New Jeru- salem CONCERNING THE SaCRED ScRIPTURE, n. 91 to 97. . Infants and Children cannot come into eflential Liberty and effential Rationality, be- fore they grow up fcstate adolefciint ;) becaufe the Interiors of the Mind in Man are fucceflively open- ed ; 142 Angelic Wisdom concerning ed ; in the mean Time they are like Seeds in unripe Fruit, which cannot germinate in the Ground. 99. It v/as faid, that elfential Liberty and eflential Rationality cannot be given in thofe who have de- nied the Lord's Divinity, and the Sanctity of the Word ; neither in thofe who have confirmed them- felves for Nature againft the Divine Principle ; and hardl)^ in thofe who have much confirmed them_- felves in Falfes of Religion : But ftiil, thefe have not lofl thofe Faculties themfelves : I have heard Atheifts, who were become Devils and Satans, who underftood Arcana of Wifdom as well as Angels, yet only when they heard them from others ; but when they returned into their own Thoughts, they did not underftand them ; the Reafon was, becaufe they would not ; but it was fhewn them, that they aifo could will to underftand them, if the Love and confequent Delight of Evil did not prevent them ; this alfo they underftood, when they heard it, yea they affirmed that they could, and were able, but that they did not will to be able,l)ecaufe thereby they would not b^able to will what they did will^ which was Evil from the Delight of the Concupi- fcence thereof : Such wonderful Things in the fpi- ritual World have I often heard ; fVom which I was fully confirmed, that every Man hath Liberty and Rationality ; and that every one may come into eifential Liberty and effential Rationality, if he fiiun- neth Evils as Sins. Bat the Adult, who doth not come into effential Liberty and elfential Rationality in the World, can never come into them after Death, for then the State of his Life remaineth to Eternity, fuch as it had been in the World. That The Divine Providence. 143 That it is a Law of the Divine Provi- dence, that Man as from hhnjelf Jhould reiTWve Evils as Sins in the external Man, and that thus and no otherwife the Lord can remove Evils in the inter^ nal Man, and then at the fame Time in the external. 100. TT' VERY one may fee from Reafon alone, Aj that the Lord, who Is Good itfelf and Truth itfelf, cannot enter into Man, unlefs Evils and Falfes in him are removed, for Evil is oppofite to Good, and what is Falfe is oppofite to what is True ; and two Oppofites never can be mixed, but ■when one approacheth the other, a Combat enfues, which continueth until one giveth Place to the oth- er, and that which giveth Place departeth, and the other fucceedeth. In fuch Oppofition are Heaven and Hell, or the Lord and the Devil : Can any one think from Reafon, that the Lord can enter where the Devil reigneth ; or that Heaven can be where Hell is ? Who doth not fee, by Virtue of the Ra- tionality given to every Man of found Mind, that, in Order that the Lord may enter, the Devil is to be cad out, or that Heaven may enter. Hell is to be removed ? This Oppofition is meant by the Words of Abraham out of Heaven to the rich Man in Hell, " Between us and you there is a great Gulph fixed ^ that they luhich would fafs from hence to you^ cannot ; neither can they -pafs to us, that would co??ie from t hence s'^ 144 Angelic Wisdom concerning thence^'' Luke xvi. 26. Evil itfelf is Hell, and Good itfelf is Heaven, or what is the fame, Evil it- felf is the Devil, and Good itfelf is the Lotd, and a; Man, in whom Evil reigneth, is a Hell in its lead Form, and a Man in whom Good reigneth, is a Heaven in its lead Form : This being the Cafe,- how can Heaven enter into Hell, when between them fo great a Gulph is fixed, that there is no pafling from the one to the other ? Hence it fol- lows, that Hell is entirely lo be removed, that the Lord may be able to enter with Heaven. roi. But many, efpecially they who have con- firmed themfelves in Faith feparate from Charity, do not knovir that they are in Hell, when they are in Evils, and do not indeed know what Evils are, by Reafon that they think Nothing of them ; faying, that they are not under the Yoke of the Law, and therefore that the Law doth not condemn them ; al- fo, that whereas they cannot contribute any Thing to their ojvn Salvation, they cannot remove any Evil from themfelves ; and moreover, that they cannot do any Good from themfelves : Thefe are they, who omit to think of Evil, and becaufe they omit to think of it, they are continually in it. That thefe are they w^ho are meant by the Goats fpoken of in Matthew, may be feen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning Faith, n. 61 to 68, of whom it is faid, Verfe 41 of Chap. xxv. *^ Depart from Me, ye curfed, into ever lofting Firs prepared for the Devil and his Angels,^^ For they who think Nothing of Evils in themfelves, that is, who do not explore themfelves, and afterwards de- fill from tjhem^ cannot but be ignorant what Evil is, and The DiviNE Providence. 145 atld then love it from the Delight thereof; for he who doth not know what is Evil, the fame loveth it, and he who omitteth to think of it, the fame is con- tinually in it, being Hke a blind Man who doth not fee ; for the Thought feeth Good and Evil, as the Eye feeth what is beautiful and unbeautiful ; and he is in Evil, as well who thinketh and willeth it, as he who believeth Evil doth not appear before God, and that it is forgiven if it appeareth, for thus he thinketh that he is without Evil : If fuch Perfons abflain from doing Evils, they do not abflain becaufe they are Sins againft God, but becaufe they are afraid of the Laws and of their Reputation; neverthelefs they do Evils in their Spirit, for it is the Spirit of Man which thinketh and willeth, wherefore that which a Man thinketh in his Spirit in the World, the fame he doeth after his Departure out of the World, when he becomes a Spirit. In the fpiritual World, into which every Man cometh after Death, it is not aiked what has your Faith been, nor what your Doc- trine, but what hath your Life been ; thus the In- quiry is concerning the Nature and Quality of the Life ; for it is known that fuch as any one's Life is, fuch is his Faith, yea fuch his Dodtrine ; inafmuch as the Life formeth to itfelf Dodrine, and formeth to itfelf Fahh. 1 02. From what hath juil been faid it may appear, that it is a Law of the Divine Providence, that Evils be removed by Man, for without the Removal of them the Lord cannot be conjoined to Man, and lead him from Self into Heaven. But foralmuch as it is not known, that Man ought as from himfelf to remove Evils in the external Man, and that unlefs T Man 146 Angelic Wisdom concerning Man doeth this as from himfelf, the Lord cannot remove Evils in him in the internal Man, therefore we fliall proceed to exhibit this to the View of Rea- fon in its Light, in the following Order. L Tha£ every Man hath an External and an Internal Prin- ciple of Thought. IL That the External Principle of the Thought of Man is in itfelf fiich as its Inter- nal is. III. That the Internal Principle cannot be purified from the Concupifcences of Evil, fo long as Evils in the External Man are not removed, be- caufe they ob(lru6l. IV. That Evils in the Exter- nal Man cannot be removed by the Lord, but by Means of Man. V. That therefore Man ought to remove Evils from the External Man as from him- felf. VI. That the Lord then purifieth Man from the Concupifcences of Evil in the Internal Man, and from the Evils thenifelves in the External. VIL That it is the Continuum [continual Endeavour] of the Divine Providence of the Lard, to join Man to Himfelf, and Himfelf to Man, that he may be able to give him the Felicities of eternal Life ; which cannot be done, but in Proportion as Evils w^ith their Concupifcences are removed^ 103. I. That every Man hath an external and an internal Principle of Thought, By the external and internal Principle of 1 bought is here underftood the fame as by the external and internal Man, which means Nothing elle but the External and the Inter- nal of the Will and Underllanding, for the Will and Underdanding make the Man ; and forafmuch as thefe two manifeit themfelves in the Thoughts, 4t is called the external and internal Principle of Thought ; now whereas it is not the Body of Man, but The Divine Providence. 147 but his Spirit which willefh and underflandeth, and thence thinketh, it follows, that this external and internal Principle is the External and Internal of the Spirit of Man. Bodily Action, whether exerted In Speech or in Work, is only an Effect from the Internal and External of Man's Spirit, for th^ Body is only Obedience. 104. That every Man in an advanced Age hath an external and an internal Principle of Thought,, therefore an external and an internal Principle of Will and Underllanding, or an External and an Internal of the Spirit, which is the fame with the external and internal Man, is evident to every one, who attends to the Thoughts and Intentions of another from his Speech or Anions ; and alfo to his own Thoughts and Intentions, when he is hi Company, and when he is not ; for any one may fpeak in a friendly manner with another in external Thought, and yet be his Enemy in internal Thought ; any one may fpeak of Love towards his Neighbour, and of Love towards God, from external Thought and at the fame Time from its Affedionj, when nev- erthelefs in his internal Thought he maketh light of his Neighbour, and doth not fear God : Any one may alfo fpeak of the Juflice of civil Laws, of the Virtues of moral Life, and of the Things which re- late to fpiritual Doctrine and Life, from external Thought and AlFedlion, and yet, when he is alone by himfelf, from internal Thought and its Affedion, fpeak againfl civil Laws, againft moral Virtues, and againft the Things which relate to fpiritual Doarine and Life ; this is the Cafe with fuch as are in the Ccncupifcences of Evil, and ilill wilh to appear be- fore ^48 Angelic Wisdobi concerning fore the World not to be in them. Moft People alfo, whilfl: they hear others fpeaking, think \vith themfelves, do they think interiorly in themfelves, as they exprefs their Thoughts in their Speech ? Are they to be believed, or not f What is it they intend ? That Flatterers and Hypocrites have a double Thought, is known ; for they can contain themfelves, and take Care that their Interior Thought fhall not be opened, and indeed can conceal it more and more interiorly, and as it were fhut up the Door left it fnould appear. That exterior Thought and interior Tho\ight is given to Man, is evidently manifeft from this Confideration, that he can froni his interior Thought fee his exterior Thought, and ^Ifo refled upon it, and judge of it, whether it b^ evil or not evil : This Quality of his Mind Man de- riveth from the two Faculties, which he hath from the Lord, called Liberty and Rationality ; from v/hich if he had not an external and an internal principle of Thought, he could not perceive an4 fee any Evil in himfelf, and be reformed ; yez^ neither could he fpeak, but only utter Spunds like a Beafi. 105. The internal Principle of Thought is fron; the Life's Love and its AfFeclions and confequent Perceptions ; the external Principle of Thought is from the Things which are in the Memory, and which are fubfervient to the Life*s Love for Con- firmations, and for Means to attain its End. Man, from Infancy to Youth, is in tlie external Principle of Thought derived from the Affeftion of knowing, which then makeih his internal Principle ; there '^ranfpireth alfo Something of Concupifcence an(i Ik^^^ll^V^ The Divine Providence. 149 thence of Inclination derived from the Life's Love connate from his Parents : But afterwards, as he liveth, his Life's Love is formed, whofe Affections and confequent Perceptions make the internal Prin- ciple of his Thought, and from the Life's Love is produced the Love of Means, whofe Delights, and the Sciences excited thence from the Memory, make the external Principle of his Thought. 106'. IL That the external Principle of the Thought cf Man is in itfelffuch as its Internal is. That Man from Head to Foot is fuch as his Life's Love is, was fliewn above : Here therefore it may be expedient to premife Something concerning the Life's Love, be- fore we proceed to fpeak of the Affeclions, which, together with Perceptions, make the internal of Man, and of the Delights of the Afi'e^lions, togeth^ cr with the Thoughts, which make his External. J^oves are manifold, but there are two Loves like Lords and Kings, celeffial Love and infernal Love ; celeflial Love is Love to the Lord and neighbour- Jy Love, and infernal Love is the Love of Self and of the World ; thefe Loves are oppofite to each oth- er, as Heaven and Hell ; for he w'ho is in the Love of Self and of the World, willeth not Good to any one but himfelf, but he who Is in Love to the Lord and in Love towards his Neighbour, the fame will- eth Good to all. Thefe tw^o Loves are the Life's Loves of Man, but with much Variety ; celeftial Love is the Life's Love of tWfe whom the Lord, leadeth, and infernal Love is the Life's Love of thofe whom the Devil leadeth. But the Life's Love of any one cannot exift without Derivations, ^vhich are called Affections \ the Derivations of in-* fernal 150 Angelic Wisdom concerning fernal Love are AfFedlons of Evil and of what is Falfe, properly called Concupifcences ; and the Derivations of celeflial Love are Affedions of Good and Truth, properly called Diledions. The Atfec- tions of infernal Love, which properly are Concupi- fcences, are as many as there are Evils, and the Af- fections of celeflial Love, which properly are Dilec- tions, are as many as there are Goods. The Love dwelleth in its Afl'edions, like a Lord in his Domain, or like a King in his Kingdom : Its Dominion and Kingdom is over the Things which appertain to the Mind, that is, which appertain to the Will and the Underitanding of Man, and thence to his Body. The Life's Love of Man, by its AfFedions and the Perceptions thence derived, and by its Delights and the Thoughts thence derived, governeth the whole Man, the Internal of his Mind by its Affedions and the Perceptions thence derived, and the External of his Mind by the Delights of its AfFedions and the I'houghts thence derived. 107. The Form of this Government may in fome Meafure be feen by Comparifons : Celeflial Love, with the Affeftions of Good and Truth, and the Perceptions thence derived, and at the fame Time with the Delights of thefe AiFedions and the Thoughts thence derived, may be compared to a Tree with beautiful Branches, Leaves, and Fruits ; the Life's Love is that Tree, the Branches with the Leaves are the AfFedions of Good and Truth with their Perceptions, and the Fruits are the Delights of the AfFedions with their Thoughts. But infer- nal Love, with its AfFedions of Evil and of what is Falfe, which are Concupifcences, and at the fame Time The Divine Providence. 'iji Time with the Delights of thefe Concupifcences and the Thoughts thence derived, may be compared to a Spider and the Web which encompafTeth it ; the Love itfelf is the Spider, the Concupifcences of Evil and what is Falfe are the retiform Threads nearefl: to the Seat of the Spider ; and the Delights of thefe Concupifcences with deceitful Machinations are the more remote Threads, where Fhes are caught, entangled, and devoured. 1 08. From thefe Comparifons may indeed be feen the Conjundion of all Things of the Will and Underftanding, or of the Mind of Man, with his Life's Love, but yet not rationally : This Conjunc- tion may be feen rationally thus : There are every where three Things together which make one, which are called End, Caufe, and Effect ; the Life's Love in Man is the End, the AfFedions with their Perceptions are the Caufe, and the Dehghts of the Affeftions with their Thoughts are the Efie£l: ; for in like Manner as the End by the Caufe cometh into Effect, fo alfo Love by its Affections cometh to its Delights, and by its Perceptions to its Thoughts : EfFeds themfelves are in the Delights of the Mind and their Thoughts, when the Delights are of the Will and the Thoughts are of the Underftanding thence derived, confequentiy when there is a full Confent therein ; Effects are in this Cafe Effects of his Spirit, which, although they do not come into bodily Action, are ftill as it were in A6t, when there is Confent ; they are alfo then together in the Body, and dwell there with his Life's Love, and breathe after A6tIon, which is produced when Nothing hin- dereth : Such are the Concupifcences of Evil, and Evils 152 Angelic Wisdom concerniko Evils themfelves, In thofe, who make Evils allowa*. ble in their Spirit. Now as the End joineth itfelf ^ith the Caufe, and by the Caufe v/ith the Effed^ fo the Life's Love joineth itfelf with the internal Principle of Thought, and by that with its external 5 hence it is evident, that the external Principle of the Thought of Man in itfelf is fuch as its internal hy for the End infufeth all it hath into the Caufe, and through the Caufe into the Efted, there being Nothing eflential in the Effecl:, but what is in the Caufe, and through the Caufe in the End ; and forafmuch as the End is thus the very elTential Prin-* ciple which entereth the Caufe and the EfFed, there^ fore the Caufe and Effect are called the middle End and the ultimate End. 109. It appears fometimes as If the external Priri^ €iple of the Thought of Man was not in itfelf fuch as its internal is j but this cometh to pafs, becaufe the Life*s Love, with its Internals about it, placeth a Subftitute below itfelf, which is called the Love of Means, and enjoineth k to take Heed and guard left any Thing of its Concupifcences fhould appear j; wherefore that Subftitute (or Deputy) from the Craftinefs of its Prince, which is the Life's Love, fpeaketh and afteth according to the civil Inftitu- tions of the Kingdom, according to the Morals of Reafon, and according to th-e Spirituals of-*the Church, and indeed fo cunningly and ingeniouf- ly, that no one feeth but they are fuch as they fpeak and a6t, and at length, by encompaffing them- felves with a Veil, they fcarcely know any otherwifci themfelves : Such are all Hypocrites ; and fuch are Priefts, who in their Hearts make light of rhcir Neighbour^ The Divine Providence. 15- Neighbour, and do not fear God, and yet preach of the Love of their Neighbour and the Love of God : Such are Judges, who judge under the Influence of Bribes and Friendfhips, when they pretend a Zeal for- Juflice, and fpcak from Reafcn of Judgment : Such ;ire Merchants, inlincere and fraudulent at Heart, when they ad iincerely for the Sake of Interefi: : And fuch are Adulterer?, when, from that Ration- ality which every Man is podeiied of, they fpeak of the Chaftity of Marriage ; and fo in other Inilances. But thefe fame Perfons, if they flrip the Love of Mtans, the Subditutc of their Life's Love, of the Garments of Purple and fine Linen, with which they had invefted it, and clothe it in its domeftic Drefs^ then they think, and fom.etimes fpeak with their iiiofl Intimate Friends, who are in a fimilar Life's Love, direQly the contrar)^ It may be thought, that when they, from the Love of Means, have fpoken fo jilftly, fincerely, and piouily, then the Quality of their internal Thought was not in the External of their Thought, but ftill it was there- hi, there being Hypocrify and the Love of Self and of the World in thofe, whofe Cunning it is to feek Reputation for the Sake of Honour or Interetl: to the lad Appearance : This Quality of the internal is in the external Principle of their Thought, when they fo fpeak and a^l:. 1 10. But in thofe who are in celeflial Love, the internal and external Principle of Thought, or the internal and external Man, a£t as one, when they fpeak, nor do they know any Difference ; their Life's Love, with its Affedions of Good and their Perceptions of Truth, is like the Soul in whatever U they 154 Angelic Wisdom concerning they thinkj imd thence fpeak and do ; if they are Priells, they preach from Love towards their Neigh- bour and the Love of God ; if they are Judges, they judge from Juftice itfelf ; if they are Mer- chants, they a61 from Sincerity itfelf ; if they are married Men, they love their Wives from Chaftity itfelf, and fo on. Their Life's Love alfo hath a Love of Means, as a Subditute, which it teacheth and leadeth to acl from Prudence, and clothes it in Garments of Zeal for the Truths of Dodrine, and at the fame Time for the Goods of Life. III. IlL Tbat the internal Principle cannot be pu- rified from the Concupifcences of Evil^ fo long as Evils in the external Man are not removed^ becaife they ob^ Jlrud^ follows from what was faid above, that the external Principle of the Thought of Man is fuch. in itfelf as the Internal of his Thought is, and that they adhere together like that which is not only within another, but is alfo from the other, where- fore one of them cannot be feparated, unlefs the other be feparated at the fame Time ; fo it is with every external Principle which is from an internal, and with every pollerior which is from a prior, and with every EtTed which is from a Caufe. Now for- afmuch as Concupifcences, together with Crafti- nefs, make the internal Principle of Thought in the Wicked, and the Delights of Concupifcences to- gether with Machinations make the external Prin- ciple of Thought in them, and the latter are joined •with the former in one, it follows, that the internal Principle cannot be purified from Concupifcences, fo long as Evils in the external Man are not remov- ed. It is to be noted, that it is the internal Will of Man The Divike Providence. 155 Man which is in Concupifcences, and that it is his internal Underflanding which is in Craftinefs, and that it is his external Will which is in the Delights of Concupifcences, and his esiternal Underflanding which is in Machinations from Ciaftinefs : Every one may fee that Concupifcences and their Delights make one, aifo tliat Craftinefs and Machinations make one, and that thefe four are in one Series, and make together as it were one Bundle ; from which Confideradon it is again evident, that the in- ternal Principle, v;hich confifteth of Concupifcen- ces, cannot be call out but by the Removal of the external, which confideth of Evils. Concupifcen- ces by their Delights produce Evils, but when Evils are thought allowable, which is done by Confent of the Will and Underflanding, then the Delights and Evils make one ; that Confent is an Acl, is w^ell known ; which is alio what the Lord faith, '^ Jj^ any one looketh at a Woman^ to IkJI after her., he hath al- ready committed Adultery zvitb her In his Hearty' Matth. V. 28 : It is the fame with other Evils. J 1 2. Hence then it may appear, that in Order to Man's being purified from the Concupifcences of Evil, Evils are entirely to be removed from the ex- ternal Man, for until this is done, there is no Exit given to Concupifcences, and if an Exit (or Egrefs) is not given them, Concupifcences remain within, and breathe forth Delights from themfelves, and fo drive Man to Confent, confequently to Adion : Concupifcences enter the Body by the External of Thought, wherefore when there is Confent in the External of Thought, they are immediately in the Body, the Delight which is felt being there : That fuch 156 Angelic Wisdom ccKCERNiKa fuch as the Mind is, fuch is the Body, confequently tlie whole INIan, may be feen in the Treatife conceru- ing The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, n. 362 to 370. This may be illuftrated by Coni- parifons, and alio by Examples : By Comparifom thus ; Concupifcences with their Delights may be compared to Fire, which the more it is kindled, the more it burneth ; and the freer Ext^ifion it hath, the wider it fpreadeth itfeif, until in a City it con- fumeth its Houfes, and in a Wood its Trees ; the Concupifcences of Evil alfo in the Word are com- pared to Eire, and Evils proceeding from them to a Conflagration \ the Concupifcences of Evil with their Delights in the fpiritual World appear alfo as Fires ; infernal Fire is Nothing elfe. They may alfo be compared to Deluges and Inundations of Waters, when Mounds or Dykes are removedo They may alfo be compared to Gangrenes and Impoflhumes, which bring Death upon the Body, as they fpread, or as they are not cured. By Examples it is clearly evident, that if Evils in the external Man are not removed, Concupifcences with their Delights increafe and become exuberant : A Thief, in Proportion as he fcealeth, in the fame Proportion hath the Concupifcence of fleahng, till at length he cannot defill : The fame is true of a fraudulent Perfon, in Proportion as he defraudeth : It is the fame alfo with Hatred and Revenge, with Luxury and Intemperance, with Adultery and Blafphemy ; that the Love of Dominion Groimded in the Love of Self increafeth in Proportion as it is given Way to, is well known ; in like Manner the Love of pofTeiTrng Goods grounded in the Love of the World J The Divine Providence. 157 World ; it appears as if there was no Bound or End to them. From thefe Confiderations it is evi- dent, that in Proportion as Evils in the external Man are not removed, in the fame Proportion the Concupifcences thereof abound ; alfo in fuch De- gree as Evils are given Way to, in the fame Degree Concupifcences increafe. 113. Man cannot perceive the Concupifcences of his own Evil ; he perceiveth the Delights of them, indeed, but he reileds little upon them, for Delights occupy the Thoughts, and take away Reflections ; wherefore if he did not from fome other Source know that they are Evils, he would call them Goods, and would perpetrate them from Liberty according to the Reafon of his Thought ; and and when he doeth this, he appropriates them to himfelf : In Proportion as he confirmeth them as allowable, in the fame Proportion he enlargeth the Court of his reigning Love, which is his Life's Love ; its Court is compofed of Concupifcences, for they are as it were its Minifters and Guards, whereby it goyemeth the Exteriors which conili- tute its Kingdom 5 but fuch as the King is, fuch are his Minifters and Guards, and fuch is his King- dom ; if the King is a Devil, then his Minifters and Guards are Infanities, and the People of his King- dom are Falfes of all Kinds, which his Miniiters, whom they call wife, although they arc infane, by Reafonings from Fallacies and by Phantafies make to appear as Truths, and to be acknowledged as Truths. Can fuch a State of Man be changed otherwife than by removing Evils in the external !\Ian, for fo the Concupifcences alfo which adhere to 158 Angelic Wisdom concerning to Evils are removed ; otherwife no Egrefs is af- forded to Concupifcences, for they are fhut in, like a befieged City, or an Ulcer fkinned over. 114. IV. That Evils in the external Man cannot he removed by the Lord hut by Means of Man, * In all Chriflian Churches this Do6trine is received, that Man, before he approacheth the holy Commu- nion, is to examine himfelf, to fee and acknowledge his Sins, and to repent, by~defifling from them, and rejeding them becaufe they are from the Devil ; and that otherwife his Sins are not forgiven, and that he is condemned : The Englifh, although they are in the Dodrine of Faith alone, neverthelefs in the Prayer at the holy Communion, openly teach Self-examination, the Acknowledgment and Con* fefTion of Sins, Repentance^ and a new Life, and threaten thofe, who do not comply, in thefe Words, that otherwife the Devil will enter into them as he did into Judas^ and f II thera with all Iniquity^ and dejiroy them Body and SouL The Germans, Swedes, and Danes, who are alfo in the Dodrine of Faith alone, in the Prayer at the holy Communion teach the fame, threatening alfo, that otherwife they will incur infernal Puniihment, and eternal Damnation, -by Reafon of the Mixture of what is facred and pro- fane : Thefe Things are read by the Prieft with a loud Voice before thofe who are about to receive the Lord's Supper, and are heard by them with' a full Acknowledgment that it is fo. Neverthelefs the fame Perfons, when they hear a Sermon the famiC Day on Faith alone, and then that the Law doth not condemn them, becaufe the Lord had ful- filled it for them, and that from themfelves they cannot The Divine Providence, 159 cannot do any Good but what Is meritoilous, and thus that Works have Nothing of Salvation in them, but Faith only, they return Home entirely forgetful of their former Confelhon, and rejecling it, in Proportion as they think of the Sermon on Faith alone. Which l)o£lrine now is true, the lat- ter or the former ? (for two Things contrary td each other cannot both be true) that without an Examination, Knowledge, Acknowledgment, Con- feffion and Rejection of Sins, therefore without Re- pentance, there is no RemiiTion thereof, confequent- ly no Salvation but eternal Damnation ? or that fuch Things contribute Notliing to Salvation, be- caufe full Satisfadion for all the Sins of Men was made by the Lord through the PafTion of the Crofs for thofc who are in Faith, and that they who are in Faith only with a Confidence that it is fo, and in Confidence of the Imputation of the Lord's Merit, are without Sins, and that they appear before the Lord like thofe who have their Faces clean wafKed ? From the above it is evident, that the common Re- ligion of all the Churches in the Chriflian World is, that Man ought to examine himfelf, to fee and ac- knowledge his Sins, and afterwards to defdt from them, and that otherwife there is no Salvation, but Condemnation. That this is moreover Divine Truth itfelf, is evident from thofe Paflfages in the Word, where Man is commanded to repent, as from thefe, " ^efus fa'id^ Bring forth Fruits worthy of Repentance:, noiu aJfo the Axe is laid unto the Root of the Trees ; every Tree therefore which bringeth not forth good Fruit fjall be hewn down and cafl into the Firc^^ Luke iii. 8, 9. " Jefus faid. Except yc RC- PlNT, i6o Angelic Wisdom concerning PENT, yejhall all perlfn^' Luke xiii. 3, 5. " Jefut preached the Go/pel cf the Kingdom of God ; repent ye^ and believe the Go/pel^'' Mark i. 14, 15. " Jefus fcnt forth his Difciples^ who went out and preached that Men fhould repent," Mark vi. 12. ""' Jefus fdid unto the Apofiles^ that they foould preach Repent- ance AND Remission of Sins to all Nations," Luke xxlv. 47. " John did preach the Baptifni of Repentance for the Remission of Sins," Mark i. 4. Luke iii. 3. Think on this Subje(El: (for thereby Man is Man) is according to his Di- vine Wildom,, and whatfoever is according to thei Divine Wifdom of the Lord, that alfo is of his Di- vine Providence. 124. To what hath been faid I will add two Ar- cana of Angelic Wifdom, from which the Nature of the Divine Providence may be feen ; the iirfl is, that the Lord never ads upon any particular Prin- ciple in Man feparately, unlefs upon all at once t The other is, that the Lord ads from Intimates [inmofl: Principles] and from Ultimates [lafl or loweft Principles] at once. The Reafon why the Lord never adeth upon any particular Principle in Man feparately^ unlefs upo-n all at o?ice^ is, becaufe all Things of Man are in fuch Connexion, and by their Connexion in fuch Form, that they ad, not as many, but as one : That Man, as to his Body, is in fuch Connexion, and by that Connexion in fuch a Form, is known ; in a fmiiiar Form, by Vir- tue of the Connexion of the Whole, is the hu- man The Divine Providence. 169 hian Mind alfo, for the human Mind is the fpln'iual Man, and is moreover actually a Man : Hence it is that the Spirit of Man, whieh is his Mind in the Body, is in every Particular of its Form a Man, •wherefore Man after Death is equally a Man as ia the World, only with this Difference, that he hath put off that Covering which conflituted his Body in the World. Now forafmuch as the human Form is fuch, that all its Parts make one common [Form] which ads as one, it follows, that one Part cannot be removed out of its Place and changed as to its State, biit in Confent with the reft, for if one were moved out of its Place and changed as to its Stare, the Form would futTer, which mud ad as one. Hence it is evident, that the Lord never ads upoa atiy particular Part or Principle, unlefs upon all at once : Thus doth the Lord act upon the univerfal Angelic Heaven, becaufe the univerfal Angelic Heaven in the Sight of the Lord is as one Man ; fo alio doth the Lord ad upon every Angel, becaufe every Angel is a Lleaven in its lead Form ; fo alfo doth he ad upon every Man, proximately upon all Things of his Mind, and through thefe upon all Things of his Body ; for the Mind of Man is his Spirit, and according to its Conjundion with the Lord is an^Angel, and his Body is Obedience. But it is well to be obferved, that the Lord adeth fm- gularly, yea mod fmgularly, alfo upon every Particu- lar of Man, but at the fame Time through all Things of his Form ; neverthelefs he doth not change the State of any Part, or of any Thing in particular, ex- cept conveniently to the whole Form : But of this more will be faid in what follows, where it will be de- X monilrated. 170 Angelic Wisdom concerning monftrated, that the Divine Providence of the Lord is univerfal, becaufe it is in Singulars, and that it is fm- gular becaufe it is univerfal. The Rcqfon why the Lord adeth from htimaies [Jnmojl Principki] and from Ulti- mates {lad or lowcjl Principles'] at once^ is, becaufe thus and no otherwife all and fmgular Things are contain- ed in their Connexion ; for Intermediates depend fuc- celTively upon Intimates [inmofl Principles] even to XJltimates, and in Ukimates they exift all together ; for in the Treatife on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, in Part the Third, it is Ihewn, that in the Ultimate [Part or Principle] there is the Simultaneous derived from the Firft of all Prin- ciples. Hence alfo it is, that the Lord from Eter- nity, or Jehovah, came into the World, and there put on and alTumed the Human [Nature] in Ulti- mates [lafl or lowed Principles,] that he might be from hrfl Principles at the fame Time in Ukimates > and thus from hrfl Principles by Ukimates govern the univerfal World, and fofave Men, whom he can fave, according to the Laws of his Divine Provi- dence, which are alfo the Laws of his Divine Wif- dom. In this Manner, therefore, it is true, what is known in all Chriftian Countries, that no Mortal could have been faved, except the Lord had come into the World, concerning which fee The Doc- trine OF THE New Jerusalem" concerning Faith, n. 2)S' ^^ence k is that the Lord is called the Firk and the Laft. 125. Thefe Angehc Arcana are premifed, in Order that it may be comprehended, how the Di- vine Providence of the Lord operates, that he may conjoin Man to Himfelf, and Himfelf to Man 5 thi^ is The Divine Providence. 171 IS not eH'e^bed upon any Particular of Man feparate- ly, except upon all of him at once ; and this is done from the Intimum [inmoft Principle] of Man, and from his Ultimates at once : The Intimum of Man is his Life's Love, his Ultimates are the Things which are in the External of his Thought, his In- termediates are the Things u-hich are in the Inter-^ nal of his Thought ; the Nature and Quality of thefe Principles, in a wicked Man, was (hewn in the foregoing Pages ; from which Confidcration it is again evident, that the Lord cannot ad from Inti- mates and Ultimates at once, except togetlier with Man, for Man is together with the Lord in Ulti- mates ; wherefore as Man acleth in Ultimates, which are at his Difpofal, becaufe they are fubjecfc to his Free-\yill, fo the Lord acleth from Lis Inti- mates, and upon SuccelTives to Ultimates. The Things which are in the Intimates of Man, and in Succelfives from the Intimates to the Ultimates, are altogether unknown to Man, and therefore Man is totally ignorant how and what the Lord operates there; but forafmuch as they cohere as one with the Ultimates, therefore it is not necelTary for Man to know more than that he ought to Ihun Evils as Sins, and look up to the I^ord. Thus and no otherwife can his Life's Love, which by Birth is infernal, be removed by the Lord, and a Love of celeftial Life be implanted in Place of it. 126. When the Love of celeftial Life is implant- ed by the Lord in Place of the Love of infernal Life, then in Place of the Concupifcences of Evil and what is Falfe are implanted AfFedions of Good and Truth, and in Place of the Delights of th<5 Concupifcences 172 Angelic Wisdom concerkikg Concupilcences of Evil and what is Falfe are im- planted Delights of the Affections of Good, and in Place of the Evils of infernal Love are implanted the Goods of celellial Loy,€ : Then inftead of Cun- ning is implanted Prudence, and inftead of Thoughts of Malice are implanted Thoughts of Wifdom : Thus Man is born again, and becometh a new Man. What Goods fucceed in Place of Evils, may be feen in The Doctrine of Life for the New Je- rusalem, n. d'] to 73, 74 to 79, 80 to 86, 87 to 91. Alfo, that in Proportion as a Man fliunneth and turneth away from Evils as Sins, in the fame Vxo- portion he loveth the Truths of Wifdom, n. 32 to 41 ; and that in the fame Proportion he hath Faith, and becometh fpiritual, n. 42 to 52. 127. That it is the common Religion in the uni- verfal Chriftian World, that Man fhould examine himifeif, fee his Sins, acknowledge them, confefs them before God, and defift from them, and that this is Repentance, Remlflion of Sins, and thence Sal- vation, was fhewn above from the Prayers read before the Koly Communion in all the Chrillian Churches. The fame may alfo appear from the Creed, which hath its Name from Athanafms, which alfo is received in the whole Chriftian World, where at the End there i^ire thefe Words, The Lord zuill coma to judge both the ^ick and the Dead, at whofe Co7iu ing they who have done Good, will enter into Life eter* 7ial, and they who have done Evil, into eternal Fire. 128. Who doth not know from the Word, that the Life of every one after Death is according to his Adions ? Open the Word, read it, and you will clearly fee it, but in this Cafe remove your Thoughts The Divine Providence. 73 Thoughts from Faith, and Juftification by it alone. That the Lord in his Word every where teacheth this, let thefe few Paflages teftify, *' Every Tree which bringeth not forth good Fruit, JJoall be ait down and cq/i into the Fire ; wherefore by their Fruits ye fhall Jaiozo them^^ Matth. vii. 19, 20. " Many will fay to Me in that Day^ Lord^ have we not prophefied in thy Nafne^ and in thy Najne done many wonderful Works ; but then will I profefs unto ihem^ I never knew you^ depart from Me ye that work Iniquity," Matth. vii. 22, 23. " Whofoever hear- €th my Words and doeth them, / will liken him unto a wife Man which built his lioufe upon a Rock ; but every one that heareth my Words and doeth THEM ^or^ fhall be likened unto afooUfh Man which built his Houfe upon the Sand^'^ Matth. vii. 24, 26. Luke vi. 46 to 49. " The Son of Man fo all come in the Glory of his Father^ and then fhall he reward EVERY ONE ACCORDING TO HIS WoRKS," Matth. xvi. 27. " The Kingdom of God fhall be taken from yoiiy and given to a Nation bringing forth the Fruits thereof,'* Matth. xxi. 43. '' Jefusfaid^ viy Mother and my Brethren are thefe^ which hear the Word of God and do it,'* Luke viii. 21. " Then ye fhall begin tofland without ' and to knock at the Door, fayingy Lord, open to us ; but he fhall ayfwer and fay unto you^ I hiow you not whence you are^ de- part from Me ^// }'^ Workers of Iniquity ^^ Luke xiii. 25 to 27. " And Jhall come forth ^ they that have done Good^ unto the Refurreclion cf Life, and they that have done Evil, ttn^^o the Refurredion of Judgment,'* John v. 29. '^ I'Ve know that God heareth not Sin- ners, but if any Man be a Worfhipper of God, and doeth 174 Angelic Wisdom concerning 150ETH HIS Will, him he heareth^' Ix. 31. " If ye know ihefe Things^ happy are ye if ye do them," John xiii. 17. " He that hath 7ny Co?nmandments^ and DOETH THEM, he it is that loveth Me^ and I ivill love him^ and zvill come to him^ and will make my Abode with hiniy* John xiv. 15, 21 to 24. " 7^e are my Friends^ if ye do whatfoever I command y on : I have chofenyou^ that yejlmdd bring forth Fruit, and that YOUR YRViT/hould remain^'* John xv. 14, 16. " The Lord /aid tmto John^ unto the Angel of the Church of Ephefus write ^ I know thy Works : I have agairjl thee^ that thou hajl left thy firjl Char- ity, REPENT AND DO THE FIRST WoRKS ; Or clfc I will remove thy Candhflick out of his Flace^' Rev. ii. 1 , 2, 4, 5. " TJyito the Angel of the Church of Smyrna write^ I KNOW thy Works," Rev. ii. 8. " Unto the Angel of the Church in Pergamos write ^ I know thy Works, repent," Rev. ii. 13, 16. " Unto the Angel of the Church in Thyatira write, I know ^HY Works and Charity ; and thy last Works to be more than the firfi^^ Rev. ii. i8. *' Unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write, I know thy Works, that thou haft a Name that thou liveft, and art dead, I have not found thy Works perfect before God, repent," Rev. iii. .1, 2, 3. " And to the Angel of the Church in Philadelphia write, I know thy Works," Rev. iii, 7, 8. " Unto the Angel of the Church in Laodi- cea write, I know thy Works, repent," Rev. iii. 14, 15, 19. '• I heard a Voice from Heaven f ay - ing, write, bleffed are the Dead, which die in the Lord from henceforth ; their Works follow them," Rev. xiv. ^.i^. " A Book was opened, which is the Book The Divine Providence, 75 Book of Life^ and the Dead were judged^ all ac- cording TO THEIR Works,*' Rev. x^. 12, 13. ^' Behold I come quickly^ and my reivard is ivith Me^ TO GIVE EVERY MaN ACCORDING TO HIS WoRK,*' Rev. xxii. 12. Thefe Pallages are in the New Tef- tainent, there are ftill more in the Old, out of -which I will adduce only this, " Stand in the Gate of the Lord J and proclaim there this Word ; thus faith Jehovah of Hojls the God of Jfrael^ amend your Ways and your Works ; trufl ye not in lying Words, faying^ the Temple of Jehovah^ the Temple of Jehovah, the Temple of Jehovah are thefe. Will ye f leal, murder^ and commit Adultery, and fw ear by a Lie, and come and ft and before Me in this Houfc, which is called by 7ny Name, arid fay, we are delivered, while ye do thefe Abonwiations ? Is this Houfe become a Den of Rob- hers? Behold, even I have feen it, faith Jehovah^^ Jer. vii. i, 3,4, 9, 10, 11. That it is a Law of the Divine Provi- deuce ^ that Man be not forced by ex-- ternal Means to think and will^ and fo to believe and love the Things zvhich are of Religion ; hut that Man lead, and fometimes force himfelf to it. 129. ^ ■ ""HIS -Law of the Divine Providence fol- ■ lows from the two preceding, which are ; That Man fhould a<5l from Liberty according to Reafon, 176 Angelic Wisdom concerni]>jg Reafon, of which, n. 71 to 99 : And this front himfelf, although from the Lord, therefore as if from himfelf, of which, n. 100 to 128 : And foraf- much as to be forced, is not to a£l from Liberty according to Reafon, and is not from himfelf, but from what is not Liberty, and from another, there- fore this Law of the Divine Providence follows after the two others : For every one knows, that no one can be forced to think that which he will not think^ and to will that which he thinks not to v/ill, there- fore neither to believe that which he doth not be- lieve, and not at all that whi<:h he will not believe,- and to lave that which he doth not love, and not at all that which he will not love ; for the Spirit of Man, or his Mind^ is in full Liberty to think, will, believe, and love ; and it is in this Liberty by Vir- tue of Influx from the fpiritual Worlds which doth' not force, for the Spirit or Mind of Man is in that World ; but not by Virtue of Influx from the natu- ral World, which is not received, unlefs they a£l as one : A Man may be compelled to fay, that he thinketh and willeth fuch and fuch Things, and that he believeth and loveth fuch and fuch Things^ but if they are not, or do not, become Objeds of his AfFedtion and thence of his Reafon, (till he doth not think, will, believe, and love them : A Man may alfo be compelled to fpeak in Favour of Religion, and to a£l according to it, but he cannot be com- pelled to think in Favour of it from any Faith, and to will it from any Love : Every one alfo, in King- doms where Jufliice and Judgment are preferved, is forced not to fpeak againfl Religion, and not to a£t againfl it, but flill no one can be forced to think and The Divine Providence. 177 and will for it ; for it is in the Liberty of every one to think with Hell, and to will for it, as alio to think for Heaven and will for it ; but Reafon teacheth what the one is and what the other is, and what Portion awaiteth the one, and what the other, and the Will from Reafon hath its Option and Election. Hence it may appear, that what is External cannot force what is Internal : Neverthelefs this fometimes is the Cafe, but that to do fo is hurtful, will be fhewn in the following Order. I. That no one is reformed by Miracles and Signs, becaufe they force. II. That no one is reformed by Vifions and by Converfations with the Dead, becaufe they force. III. That no one is reformed by Threats and Pun- ifhments, becaufe they force. IV. That no one is reformed in States not of Rationality and not of Liberty. V. That it is not contrary to Rationality and Liberty for a Man to force himfelf. VI. That the external Man is to be reformed by the internal, and not vice ver/a. 130. I. T/jat no one Is reformed by Miracles and Signs, becaufe they force, I'hat Man hath an inter- nal and an external Principle of Thought, and that the Lord floweth through the internal Principle of Thought into its- external in Man, and fo teacheth and leadeth him, was fliewn above : Alio, that it is from the Divine Providence of the Lord, that Man a^leth from Liberty according to Reafon : Both. thcfe CircumPcances of Man's Condition would per- iOi, if Miracles were performed, and Man by thera were compelled to believe. That this is the Cafe, may be rationally feen thus : It cannot be denied, that Miracles induce Belief, and flrongly perfuade y that 178 Angelic Wisdom concerning that that is true, which is faid and taught by him who doeth Miracles ; and that this at firft fo occu-^ pieth the external Principle of Man's Thought, that it in a Manner binds and fafcinates it : But Man hereby is deprived of his two Faculties, which are called Rationality and Liberty, whereby he is ena- bled to acl from Free-will according to Reafon, and then the Lord cannot flow in through his In- ternal into the external Principle of his Thoughtj* but only leave Man to confirm from his Rationality that Thing, which by the Miracle v/as made an Ob- jecl of his Belief. The State of Man's Thought is fuch, that from the internal Principle thereof he fees a Thing in the external Principle thereof as it w^ere in a Glafs, for, as was faid above, a Man can fee his Thought, which cannot be but from interior Thought ; and when he fees an Objecl as in a Glafs, he can alfo turn it this Way and that, and faihion it, until it appeareth to himfelf beautiful ; which Ob- jecl, if it be a Truth, may be compared unto a Vir- gin or Youth beautiful and alive ; but if the Man cannot turn that Obje6l this Way and that, and fafhion it, but only believe it from Perfuafion indu- ced by a Miracle, in this Cafe, if it be a Truth, it may be compared to a Virgin or Youth cut out of Stone or Wood, in which there is no Life ; and it may alfo be compared to an Obje6r, conftantly be- fore the Sight, which alone is feen, and hideth all that is on either Side, and behind it ; it may alfo be compared to one continual Sound in the Ear, which taketh away the Perception of Harmony arifmg from feveral Sounds : Such Blindnefs and Deafnefs is induced in the human Mind by Mira- cles. The Divine Providence. 179 cles. It is the fame with every Thing confirmed, which is not feen from fome RaiionaUty before it is confirmed. 131. From thefe Confiderations it may appear, that Faith induced by Miracles 'is not Faith, but Perfuafion, for there is Nothing rational in it, flill lefs any Thing fpiritual, it being merely external without any internal Principle : It is the fame with all that^ a Man doeth from that perfuafive Faith, whether fie acknowledge God, or worfliip him at Home or at Church, or do Good : When a Mi- racle only induceth Man to Acknowledgment of God, to Worfhip and Piety, he adeth from the natural Man, and not fiom the fpiritual, for a Mira- cle infufeth Faith by an external Way, and not by an internal Way, therefore from the World and not from Heaven ; and the Lord doth not enter into Man by any other Way than by an internal Way, which is by the Word, and by Dodrine and Preachings derived from the Word ; and forafmuch as Miracles fhut up this Way, therefore at this Day no Miracles are wrought. 132. That fuch is the Nature and Efl'ed of Miracles, may appear manifedly from the Miracles wrought before the Jewiih and Ifraelitifh People 9 ahhough this People faw fo many Miracles in the Land of Egypt, and afterwards at the Red Sea, and others in the Defart, and efpecially upon Mount Sinai, when the Law was promulgated, neverthelefs in the Space of a Month, when Mofes tarried upon that Mountain, they made themfelves a golden Calf, a?d acknowledged it for Jehovah who brought them out of the Land of Egypt, Exod. xxxii. 4, 5, 6 : The i8o Angelic Wislom concerning The fame alfo may appear from the Miracles wrought afterwards in the Land of Canaan, not- withftanding which, the People fo often departed from the Worfhip commanded : As alfo from the Miracles which the Lord, when he was in the World, wrought before them, and yet they cruci- fied him. The Reafon v/hy Miracles were wrought among this People, was, becaufe they were altogeth- er external Men, and were introduced into the Land of Canaan, merely that they might reprefent a Church and its Internals by the Externals of Wor- ship ; and a wicked Man may be a Reprefentative equally as well as a good Man j the Externals of Worfhip among them were Rituals, all which figni- iied Things fpiritual and celeftial ; yea Aaron, al- though he made the golden Calf, and commanded the Worfhip of it, Exod. xxxii. 2, 3, 4, 5, 35, nev- erthelefs could reprefent the Lord and his Work of Salvation : And forafmuch as they could not, by the Internals of Worfliip, be led to reprefent thefe Things, therefore they were led, yea forced and compelled to it, by Miracles. The Reafon why they could not be brought to fuch Reprefentation by the Internals of Worfhip, was, becaufe they did not acknowledge the Lord, although the whole Word, which was among them, treateth of Him on- ly ; and he who doth not acknowledge the Lord^ cannot receive any internal Worfhip : But after that the Lord manifefted himfelf, and was received ;md acknowledged as the Eternal God in the Churches, Miracles ceafed, 133. Neverthelefs the Effe£t of Miracles upon the Good 13 different from what it is upon ths Wicked ; The Divine Providence. i8i Wicked : The Good do not defire MiracleSj but they believe the Miracles which are recorded in the Word ; and if they hear any Thing of a Miracle, they attend no otherwife to it than as a hght Argu- ment which confirms their Faith, for they think from the Word, confequently from the Lord, and not from a Miracle. It is otherwife with the Wick- ed ; they indeed may be compelled and forced into Faith, yea into Worlhip and Piety, but only for a ihort Time ; for their Evils are fhut in, the Concu- pifcences of which, and the Delights thence derived, continually ad againfl the external Principle of their Worfhip and Piety, and in Order that thefe Evils may efcape from their Confinement and break out, they think of the Miracle, and at length call it a Delufion or an Artifice, or an Operation of Nature, and fo return to their Evils ; and he who returns to his Evils after Worfhip, profanes the Truths and Goods of Worfhip, and the Lot of Profaners after Death is the word of all : Thefe are they v/ho are meant by the Lord's Words in Matt. xii. 43, 44, 45 ; whofe laft State is worfe than their firft. More- over, if Miracles were to be wrought before thofe, who do not believe by Virtue of the Miracles re- corded in the Word, they mufh be continually per- formed, and prefented conftantly to View with fuch Perfons. From thefe Confiderations it may appear, whence it is that Miracles are not performed at this Day. 134. IL That no one is reformed by Vifions and by converfing with the Dead, becaufe they force. Vifions are of two Kinds, Divine and diabolical ; Divine Vifions are effected by Reprefcntatives in Heaven j and i82 Angelic Wisdom concerning and diabolical Vifions are effected by Magic in Hell : There are alfo fantaftical Vifions, vi/hich are Illu- fions of an abftract Mind. Divine Vifions, which, as was faid, are produced by Reprefentatives in Heaven, are fuch as the Prophets had, who, when they were in them, v/ere not in the Body, but in the Spirit ; for Vifions cannot appear to any Man when his Body is awake ; wherefore when they ap- peared to the Prophets, it is faid alfo that they were then in the Spirit ; as appears from the following PaiTages ; Ezekiel faith, " The Spirit took me up, and brought me in Vision, in the Spirit of God, into Chaldea, to them of the Captivity ; fo the Vision that I had feen went up from me/' xi, I, 24 : Again he faith, " that the Spirit took him up between the Earth and the Heaven, and brought him in the Visions of God to Jerufalem,'* viii. 3 : In like Manner he was in a Vifion of God, or in the Spirit, when he faw four Animals, which were Cherubim, Chap. i. and Chap, x : As alfo when he faw the new Temple and the new Earth, and an Angel meafuring them. Chap. xl. to xlviii. That he was then in the Vifions of God, he declares. Chap, xK 2, 26 : And that he was in the Spirit, Chap, xliii. 5. In a limilar State was Zechariah, when he faw a Man riding among the Myrtle Trees, Chap. i. 8 : When he faw the four Horns and a Man with a meafuring Line in his Hand, Chap. ii. 1,3: When he faw a Candleftick and two Olive Trees, Chap, iv. I : When he faw a flying Roll and an Ephah, Chap. V. 1,6: When he faw four Chariots coming out from between four Mountains, and Horfes, Chap. vi. ij and following Verfes. In a fimih State n«» The Divine Providence. i8j State was Daniel, when he faw four Beads afcencU ing out of the Sea, Chap. vi. i, and following Ver- fes : And when he faw the Battle of the Ram and the He Goat, Chap. vili. i, and following Verfes : That he faw thefe Things in a Vificn of his Spirit, is faid, Chap. vii. i, 2, 7, i v Chap. viil. 2. Chap. X. I, 7, 8 : And that the Angel Gabriel was ^een of him In a Vifion, Chap.^k. 21. John alfo was in a Vifion of the Spirit, when he faw the Things which he has defcrlbed in the Revelation 5 as when he faw the feven Candle flicks and the Son of Man in the Midll of them. Chap. I. 12 to 16. When he faw a Throne in Heaven, and one fitting on the Throne, and four Animals which were Cherubim,' round about It, Chap. iv. When he faw the Book of Life taken by the Lamb, Chap. v. When he faw Horfes coming forth out of the Book, Chap. vi. When he law feven Angels with Trumpets, Chap. viU. When he faw the bottomlefs Pit opened, and Locuils coming forth out of It, Chap. ix. When he faw the Dragon and his War with Michael, Chap. xlL When he faw the two Beads, one coming out of the Sea, and the other from the Earth, Chap. siii. When he faw the Woman fit- ting upon the fcarlet Beaft, Chap. xvii. and Baby- lon deftroyed, Chap, xviil. When he faw the white Horfe, and Him that fat thereon. Chap. xvii;. When he faw the New Heaven and the New Earth, and the Holy Jerufalem coming down out of Heav- en, Chap. xxi. And when he faw the River of the Water of Life, Chap. xxii. That he faw thefe Things in a Villon of the Spirit, is faid, Chap. i. I- 1. Chap. iv. 2o Chap. V, I. Chap. vi. i. Chap. xxi. 184 Angelic Wisdom concerning xxi. 12. Such were the Vifions, which appeared out of Heaven, before the Sight of their Spirit, and not before the Sight of their Body. Such Vifions do not exid at this Day, for if they did exift, they would not be underllood, becaufe they are effefted by Reprefentatives, the Particulars of which fignify internal Things of the Church, and Arcana of Heav- en : That Vilions were alfo to ceafe when the Lord came into the World, is foretold by Daniel, Chap, xi. 24. But diabolical Vi/tofis fometimes have exift- ed, being induced by Enthufiaftic Spirits, and Vifion- aries, who from the Delirium in which they were, called themfelves the Holy Ghofl. But thofe Spi- rits are now colleded by the Lord, and cafl into a Hell feparate from the Hells of others. Hence it is evident, that no one can be reformed by any oth- er Vifions than what are recorded in the Word. There are alfo fantajlical Vifions ^ but thefe are mere lilufions of an abftracl Mind. 1 3'44-« That neither can any one be reformed by fpeaking with the Dead, is evident from the Lord's Words concerning the rich Man in Hell, and Laz- arus in the Bofom of Abraham ; for the rich Man faid, '' I pray thee^ Father Abraham^ that thou woiildjl fend La%arus to my Tather'^s Houfe ; for I hai-e fve Brethren ; that he may tejlify unto them^ lejl they alfo come into this Place of Torment : Abraham faid unto him^ They have Mofes and the Prophets^ let them hear them : But he faid ^ Nay^ Father Abraham^ but if one vjent unto them from the Dcad^ they will repent : And he faid unto him^ If they hear not Mofes and the Proph- ets^ neither will they be perfuaded though one rofe from the Decd^' Luke xvi. 27 to 31. Speaking with The Divine Providence. 185 Vith the Dead would have the fame Efi It is a known Thing, Z that i86 Angelic Wisdom concerning that the External cannot force the Internal, btit that the Internal can force the External : It is alfo known, that the Internal is fo averfe to Force from the External, that it turneth itfelf away : And it is alfo known, that external Delights allure the Inter- nal to Confent and to Love : It may alfo be known, that there exills internal Conftraint and internal Liberty. But all thefe Points, although they are known, are nevenhelefs to be illultrated ; for there are many Things, which, when they are heard, are immediately perceived to be fo, becaufe they are Truths, and thence they are affirmed, but if they aie not at the fame Time confirmed by Reafons, they may be invalidated by Arguments from Falla- cies, and at length denied ; wherefore the Things, which are now mentioned as known, are to be re- affumed and rationally confirmed. First, That the External cannot force the Internal^ but that the Inter^ nal can force the External : Who can be forced to believe and to love ? It is not polTible for any one to be forced to believe, any more than to think that a Thing is fo. v/hen he doth not think fo ; and it is not pofiible for any one to be forced to love, any more than to will that which he doth not will, for Belief is of the Thought, and Love is of the Will : But the Internal by the External may be forced not to fpeak ill againft the Laws of the Kingdom, the Mor^ils of Life, and the Sanctities of the Church ; the Internal may be forceii to this by Threats and Punifhments, and alfo is forced and ought to be forced \ but this Internal is not an Internal properly human, but it is an Internal which Man hath iii common with Beads, which alfo can be forced j the The Divine Providence. 187 the human Internal refides above this animal Inter- nal : The human Internal is here meant, which cannot be forced. Secondly, Thai the Internal is fo averfe to Force from the External^ that it turneth it/elf away ; the Reafon is, becaufe the Internal willeth to be at Liberty, and loves Liberty ; for Lib- erty is of the Love or of the Life of Man, as was fliewn above ; wherefore when Liberty perceiveth itfelf to be forced, it withdraws itfelf as it were within itfelf, and averteth itfelf, and regardeth Force as its Enemy ; for the Love, which maketh the Life of Man, is exafperated, and caufeth Man to think, that thus he is not his own, corifequently that he doth not live to himfelf. The Reafon why the Internal of Man is fuch, is grounded in the Law of the Divine Providence of the Lord, that Man may adt from Liberty according to Reafon. Hence it is evident, that to force Men to Divine Worfhip by Threats and Punifliments, is hurtful. But there are fome who fuffer themfelves to be for- ced to Religion, and there are fome who do not ; they who fuffer themfelves to be forced to Religion, are many of the Papifls, but" tiiis is the Cafe with thofe, in whom there is Nothing internal in Wor- fhip, but all is external : They who do not fuffer themfelves to be forced, are many of the Englifh Nation, and hence it comes to pafs that there is an Internal in their Worfhip, and what Is in the Exter- nal is from the Internal : The Interiors of thefe latter, as to Religion, appear in fpiritual Light like white Clouds ; but the Interiors of the former, as to Religion, appear in the Light of Heaven like dark Clouds : Both thefe Appearances are given to be i88 Angelic Wisdom concerning be feen in the fplrltual World, and whoever will may fee them, when he enters that World after Death : Moreover, conftrained Worfhip fhuts in Evils, which in fuch Cafe lie hid like Fire in Wood under the Afhes, which continually kindleth and diiateth itfelf, until it breaketh out into a Flame ; whereas Worfnip, which is not conftrained, but fpoutaneous, doth not ihut in Evils ; wherefore ihey are like Fires which immediately burn out and are difperfed. From thefe Confiderations it is evi- dent, that the Internal hath fuch a Repugnance to Reuraint, that it averteth itfelf. The Reafon why the Internal can force the External, is, becaufe the Internal is like a Mailer, and the External is like a Servant. Thirdly, That Exterrial Delights allure the Internal to Confent^ and alfo to Lcvs : Delights are of two Kinds, I)elights of the Undei /landing and Delights of the Will, the Delights of the Un- derftanding are alfo Delights of Wifdom, and the Delights of the Will are alfo Delights of Love, for Wifdom is of the Underflanding, and Love is of the Will : Now forafmuch as the Delights of the Body and of its Senfes, which are external Delights, act as one with internal Delights, which are of the ijnderilanding and of the Will, it follows, that as the Internal refufeth Conilraint from the External, infomuch that it turneth itfelf away, fo the Internal gratefully beholds Delight in the External, info- much that it turneth itfelf to it ; thus is produced Confent on the Part of the Underflanding, and Love on the Part of the Will. All Infants in the fpiritual World are introduced into angelic Wifdom, ind by it into celeftial Love, by Delights and Pleaf-T antnefTe? The Divine Providence. 189 jantneiTes from the Lord, firft by beautiful Objc6ls in Houfes, and by pleafant Things in Gardens, then by Reprefentatives of Things fpirltual, which affeft the Interiors of their Minds with Pleafure, and lad- ly by Truths of Wifdom, and fo by Goods of Love j thus continually by Delights in their Order, firft by the Delights of Love of the Underftanding and its Wifdom, and laftly by the Delights of the Love of the Will, which becomes their Life's Love, under which the other Things, which entered by Delights, are kept fubordinate. This is done, becaufe all of the Underftanding and Will is to be formed by the External, before it is formed by the Internal ; for all of the Underftanding and Will is formed firft by the Things which enter through the Senfcs of the Body, efpecially through the Sight and Hearing ; but when the firft Underftanding and the firft Will are formed, then the Internal of Thought regards them as the External of its Thought, and either conjoin- eth itfelf with them, or feparates itfelf from them ; it conjoineth itfelf with them if they are delightful, and feparates itfelf from them if they are not. But it is well to be attended to, that the Internal of the Underftanding doth not join itfelf with the Internal of the Will, but that the Internal of the Will join- eth itfelf with the Internal of the Underftanding, and caufeth a reciprocal Conjundion ; but this is done by the Internal of the Will, and not at all by the Internal of the Underftanding. Hence it is, that Man cannot be reformed by Faith alone, but by the Love of the Will which formeth Faith to itfelf. Fourthly, That there exijis internal Con^ jiraint and internal Liberty : Internal Conftraint ex* ifts 190 Angelic Wisdom concerning ifts with thofe, who are in external Worfhip alone and in no internal , for their Internal is to think and will that, to which their External is forced ; thefe are they who are in the Worfhip of Men liv- ing and dead, and thence in the Worfhip of Idols, and in the Faith of Miracles j in thefe there doth not exiil any Internal, but what at the fame Time is external. But with thole who are in the Internal of Worfhip, there is given internal Coniiraint, one Kind from Fear, and another from Love ; internal Conflraint from Fear, is in thofe, who are in Wor- fhip from the Fear of infernal Torment and its Fire ; but this Internal is not the Internal of Thought, which was before treated of, but the External of Thought, v;hich is here called Internal becaufe it is of Thought j the Internal of Thought, which was before treated of, cannot be forced or conftrained by any Fear ; but it can be forced by Love and by the Fear of lofmg it ; the Fear of God in a genuine Senfe is Nothing elfe ; to be forced by Love and by the Fear of lofmg it, is to force one's Self ; that ta force one's Self is not againft Liberty and Rational ity, will be feen below. 137. Hence it may appear, what conilrained Worfhip is, and what unconflrained Worfhip is j conftrained Worfhip is corporeal, inanimate, ob- fcure, and gloomy Worfhip ; corporeal, becaufe it is of the Body, and not of the Mind ; inanimate, be- caufe there is no Life in it ; obfcure, becaufe there is no Underflanding in it ; and gloomy, becaufe there is no Delight of Heaven in it. But unconflrained Worfhip, when it is genuine, is fpirltual, Hving, iucid, and joyful Worfliip ; fpiritual, becaufe there is The Divine Providence. 191 5s Spirit from the Lord in it ; living, becaufe there is Life from the Lord in it ; lucid, becaufe there is Wifdom from the Lord in it ; and joyful, becaufe there is Heaven from the Lord in it. 138. IV, That no one is reformed in States of Non- Rationality and of Non-Liberty : It was fixewn above, that Nothing is appropriated to Man, but what he doeth from Liberty according to Reafon ; the Rea- fon is, becaufe Liberty is of the Will, and Reafon is of the Underflanding, and when Man ads from Liberty according to Reafon, then he ads from his Will through his Underflanding, and what is done in Conjun(5lion of both, that is appropriated. Now forafmuch as the Lord willeth, that Man fliould be reformed and regenerated, that he may have eter- nal Life or the Life of Heaven, and no one can be reformed and regenerated, unlefs Good be appro- priated to his Will that it may be as it were his own, and Truth to his Underftanding that it may alfo be as it were his own ; and forafmuch as Noth- ing can be appropriated to any one, but what is from the Liberty of his Will according to the Reafon of his Underllanding, it follows, that no one is reform- ed in States of Non-Liberty and of Non-Rationality. States of Non-Liberty and Non-Rationality are fev- eral ; but in general they may be referred to thefe. States of Fear of Misfortune^ a difcafed State of Mind^ bodily Sicknefs^ Ignorance^ and Blindnefs of the Under- fianding ; but of each State Something {hall be faid in particular. 139. The Reafon why no one is reformed in a State of Fear, is, becaufe Fear taketh av/ay Free- will and Reafon, or Liberty and Rationality ; for Love 192 Angelic Wisdom co^cERrriNG Love openeth the Interiors of the Mind, but Feat fhuts them, and when tliey are fhut, Man thinks little J and only what offers itfelf to the Mind and Senfes : Such is" the Effecl of all Fears which invade t\\& Mind. That man hatli an internal Principle of Thou^^ht, and an external Principle of Though:, was fhewn above : Fear never can invade the inter-^ nap Principle of Thought, this Principle being al- ways in Freedom, becaufe it is in its Life's Love 5 but it can invade the external Principle of Thought^ and when it invades this Principle, the internal Prin-^ ciple of Thought is ihut, and this being fhut, Man can no longer act from Liberty according to bis Reafon ; therefore cannot be reformed. The Fear which invades the external Principle of Thought^ and clofeth the internal, is principally the Fear of the Lofs of Honour or of Interefl ; but Fear for civ* il Punilhments, and for external ecclefialHcal Pun- iilmients, doth not clofe it, becaufe thefe Laws only prefcribe Punilhments for thofe who fpeak and aci' i^gainft the civil Inftitutions of a Kingdom and the fpiritual ones of the Church, but not for thofe who think againil them. The Fear of infernal Punifh- ment indeed invades the external Principle of Thought, but only for fome Moments, or Hours, or Days, but afterwards this is reftored to its Liberty from the internal Principle of thought, which is properly of Man's Spirit and Life's Love, and is call- ed the ThouG^ht of the Heart. But Fear for the Lofs of Honour and Intereil invades the external Principle of the Thought of Man, and when it in. vades, it fliuts the internal Principle of Thought above againft the Influx from Heaven, and caufeth that. The Divine Providence. 193 that a Man cannot be reformed : The Reafon is, be- caule the Life's Lo\^e of every Man is by Birth the Love of Self and of the World, and the Love of Self maketh one with the Love of Honour, and the Lo\ e of the World maketh one with the Love of Interefl ; wherefore when a Man is in PolTeffion of Honour or of Interelt, out of Fear for the Lofs of them, he con- firms in himfelf Means, which are fubfervient to Honour and Intereft, and which are as well of a civil as an ecclefiaftical Nature, both refpecling Gov-* ernment ; in like Manner he adeth, who is not yet in Poileffion of Honour or Lucre, if he afpires to them, but out of Fear for the Lofs of Reputation for the Sake of them. It is faid that this Fear invades the external Principle of Thought^ and fhuts the in- ternal above againfl Influx from Heaven ; this latter Principle is faid to be Ihut or clofed, when it entirely ads as one with the External, for then it is not in itfelf, but in the External. But forafmuch as the Loves of Self and of the World are infernal Loves, and the Sources of all Evils, it is evident of what Na- ture the internal Principle of Thought is, in itfelf, with thofe in whom thefe Loves reign or are the Life's Loves, namely, that it is full of Concupifcences of Evils of all Kinds. This they do not know, who, from the Feai; of the Lofs of Dignity and Opulence, are in a powerful Perluafion of the Religion in which they are principled, efpecialiy in a Religion which involves, that they fliould be worfiiipped as Deities, and at the fame Time as Plutos in IltU ; thefe can burn as it were with Zeal for the Salvation of Souls, and this neverthelefs from infernal Fire. Whereas this Fear efpecially taketh away Rational- A A ity 194 Angelic Wisdom concerning ity itfelf, and Liberty itfelf, which are of celeftial Origin, it is evident that it is an Obflacle to Man*» being reformed. 140. The Reafon why no one is reformed in a S FATE OF Misfortune, if he then only thinketh of God and iniploreth Afliftance, is, becaufe it is a State of Conilraint ; wherefore when he cometh in- to a State of Liberty, he returneth iiito his former Stare, in which he had thought little if any Thing of God : Not fo they, who feared God before, in a State of Liberty. By fearing God is meant to fear to offend him, and to offend him is to fm ; and this is not of Fear, but of Love : Who that loveth any one, doth not fear to do him Harm, and the more he loveth him, the more he feareth it ? Without this Fear, Love is lifelefs and fuperiicial, appertaining to the Thought only, and not to the Will. By States of Misfortune are meant States of Defperation from Dangers, as in Battles, Duels, Shipwrecks, Falls, Fires, imminent or unexpe6led Lofs of Wealth, alfo of Office and thence of Honour, and other fuch-like Cafes: In thefe only to think of God, is not from God, but from Self; for then the Mind is as it were imprilbned in the P.-^dy, therefore not in Liberty, and thence neither in Rationality, without which Reformation is not given. 141. The Reafon why no one is reformed in a DISORDERED State OF MiND, is, bccaufe Difeafe of the Mind {Mgritiido Auhnt) taketh away Ration- ality,'and thereby the Liberty of ailing according to Reafon ; for a difordered or fick Mind is not found, and the found Mind is rational, and not the Tick Mind. Such Diforders of the Mind are Melancho- lies, The Divine Providence. 195 lies, fpurlous and falfe Confciences, Phantafies of va* rious Kinds, Grief of Mind from Misfortunes, Anx- ieties and iVnguiih of Mind from a Difeafe of the Body, which are fometimes confidered as Tempta- tions, but they are not, becaufe genuine Temptations have for their Object fpiritual Things, and in thefe the Mind is wife, but the former have for their Ob- ject natural Things, and in thefe the Mind is infane. 142. The Reafon why no one is reformed in a State of Bodily Disease, is, becaufe Reafon then is not in a free State, for the State of the Mind depends upon the State of the Body ; when the Body is fick, the Mind alfo is fick, if not otherwife, yet by being removed from the World, for a Mind re- moved from the World thinks indeed of God, but not from God, for it is not irx the Liberty of Reafon j ^lan hath Freedom of Reafon from this Circum- ftance, that he is in the Midil between Heaven and the World, and that he can think from Heaven and from the World, alfo from Heaven concerning the World, and from the World concerning Heaven : When therefore a Man is in a Difeafe, and thinketh of Death, and of the State of his Soul after Death, then he is not in the World, and is ab (trailed in Spirit, in which State alone no one can be reformed ; but he may hereby be confirmed, if he was reformed before he fell into the Difeafe. It is the fame with thofe who renounce the World and all Bufmefs in it, and give themfclves up folely to Thoughts con- cerning God, Heaven, and Salvation ; but of this more elfewhere. Wherefore the fame, if they are npt reformed before the Difeafe, after it, if they die. igS Angelic Wisdom concerning die, become furh as they were before the Difeafe ; hence it is a vain Thing to think, that any can re* pent, or receive any Faith under Difeafes, for there is Nothing of Adion in that Repentance, and Noth- ing of Charity in that Faith, wherefore all is of the Mouth, and Nothing of the Heart in both. 143. The Reafon why no one is reformed in a Statk of Ignorance, is, becaufe all Keformation is effeded by Truths, and by a Life according to them, wherefore they who do not know Truths, can- not be reformed ; but if they defire Truths from the Affeftion thereof, they are reformed in the fpi- ritual World after Death, 144, That neither can any be reformed in a State of Blindness of the Understanding : Thefe alfo do not know Truths, confequently nei» ther do they know Life, for Underftanding mufl teach them, and the Will muft do them, and when the Will doeth what the Underftanding teacheth, then it hath Life according to Truths ; but when the Underilanding is blinded, the Will alfo is clofed, and doth not do from Liberty according to Reafon sny Thing but the Evil confirmed in the Under- ilanding, which is Falfe. Religion alfo, as well as Ignorance, blindeth the Underftanding, when it teacheth a blind Faith : So doth Doclrine of what is falfe ; for as Truths open the Underftanding, h falfe Principles iliut it ; they fhut it above, but open it below, and the Underftanding, open only below, cannot fee Truths, but only confirm whatfoever it willeth, efpeclally what is falfe, The Underftand- ing is alfo blinded by the Lufts of Evil ; fo long as the Will is in fuch Lufts, it forceth the Underftand-^ The Divine Providence, 197 ing to confirm them ; and as far as the Lufts of Evil are confirmed, fo far the Will cannot be in Af- fedions of Good, and from them fee Truths, and fo be reformed. As for Example ; when a Man is in the Luft of Adultery, his Will, which is in the De- light of his Love, forceth his Underilanding to con- firm it, by faying. What is Adultery ? Is there any Harm in it ? Is there not the fame Harm in the Connexion between Hufband and Wifp ? Cannot Children equally be born from Adultery ? Cannot a Woman admit more than one without any Harm ? What hath any fpiritual Confideration to do in this Cafe ? Thus doth the Underftanding, which then is the Harlot of the Will, think, and fo flupid is it made by its Whoredom with the Will, that it can- not fee that conjugal Love is fpiritual celellial Love itfelf, which is an Image of the Love of the Lord and of the Church, from which alfo it is derived, find thus that in itfelf it is holy, being effential Chaflity, Purity, and Innocence ; and that it ma- 5k.eth Men Loves in Form, for married Pairs can love each other mutually from their inmofi: Souls, and fo form themfelves into Loves ; and that Adul- tery dellroyeth this Form, and with it the Image of the Lord ; and what is horrible, that the Adulterer mixeth his Life with the Life of the Hufband in his Wife, for in the Seed is the Life of Man : And forafmuch as this is profane, therefore Hell is call- ed Adultery, and on the contrary Heaven is called Marriage : The. Love of Adultery alfo communi- cates with the lowed Hell, but Love truly conjugal with the inmofl Heaven ; the Members of .Genera- tion of both Sexes alfo cortefpond to Societies of the igS Angelic Wisdom concerning the inmoll Heaven. Thefe Particulars are adduced, that it may be known, how much the Underftand- ing is blinded when the Will is in the Lull of Evil ; and that in a State of Blindnefs of the Underfland- ing no one can be reformed. 145. V. That it is not contrary to Rationality and Liberty for a Man to force himfef It was ihewa above, that Man hath an internal Principle of Thought, and an external Principle of Thought, and that they are dillind as Prior and Pofterior, or as Superior and Inferior ; and forafmuch as they are fo diftini^l, it was Ihewn that they can aO: fepa- rately, and can ad in Conjundion ; they a£l fepa- rately, when a Man fpeaketh and acleth from the external Principle of his Thought otherwife than he interiorly thinketh and willeth ; and they acl in Conjundion, when he fpeaketh and doeth what he interiorly thinketh and willeth ; the latter Cafe is common with the fmcere, but the former with the infmcere. Now forafmuch as the internal and the external Principles of the Mind are fo diftind, the Internal can alfo fight with the External, and by Combat compel him to confent : Combat exifts, %vhen Man thinketh Evils to be Sins, and therefore willeth to defifb from them, for when he defifteth, the Door is opened, which being opened, the Con- cupifcences of Evil, which befieged the internal Prin- ciple of Thought, are cad out by the Lord, and in Place thereof are implanted Alfedions of Good ; and this in the internal Principle of Thought : But whereas the Delights of the Concupifcences of Evil, which befiege the external Principle of Thought, cannot at the fame Time be call out, therefore The Divine Providence;. 199 therefore a Combat exifls between the internal and the external Principle of Thought ; the Internal willeth to cafl out thofe Delights, becaufe they are Delights of Evil, and do not accord with the Affec- tions of Good, in which the Internal now is, and in Place of the Delights of Evil to introduce Delights of Good, which accord ; the Delights of Good are what are called Goods of Charity. From this Con- trariety arifeth a Combat, which, if it becometh grievous, is called Temptation. Now forafmuch as Man is Man by Virtue of the internal Principle of his Thought, this being the Spirit of Man itfelf, it is evident that Man forceth himfelf, when he forceth the external Principle of his Thought to confent to or to receive the Delights of his Affec- tions, which are Goods of Charity. That this is not contrary to Rationality and Liberty, but con- formable to them, is evident, for Rationahty cauf- eth the above Combat, and Liberty executes it ; Liberty itfelf alfo with Rationality refides in the in^ ternal Man, and from the Internal in the External. When therefore the Internal conquereth, which i:> the Cafe when the Internal hath reduced the Exter- nal to Confent and Obedience, then Liberty itfelf and Rationality itfelf are given Man by the Lord ; for then Man is delivered by the Lord from infernal Liberty, which in itfelf is Servitude, and placed in celeftial Liberty, which in itfelf is real Libertv, and it is given him to aflbclate with Angels. That they are 'Servants who are in Sins, and that the Lord maketh them free, who receive Truth from Him through the Word, he himfelf teacheth in John, Chap. viii. 31 to ^6, J 46. Let 200 Angelic Wisdom concerning 146. Let us take an Example by Way of Illuf- tration : Suppofe a Man, who had perceived De- light in Frauds and clandeftine 1 hefts, to fee and acknowledge that they are Sins, and therefore to will to defiil from them ; when he defifleth, then arifes a Combat of the internal Man with the exter- nal ; the internal M?ai is in the Affedion of Sincer- ity, but the external as yet in the Delight of De- fraudation ; which Delight, becaufe it is altogether oppofite to the Delight of Sincerity, doth not recede, unlefs it be compelled, neither can it be compelled without a Combat, arid then when he overcomes, the external Man cometh into the Delight of the Love of Sincerity, which is Charity ; afterwards fucceflively the Delight of Defraudation becometlv undelightful to him. It is fimilar with other Sins, as with Adulteries and Fornications, Revenges and Hatreds, Blafphemies and Lies. But the moft dif^ iicult Combat of all is with the Love of Dominion from the Love of Self; he who fubdueth this, eafily fubdueth other evil Loves, becaufe it is the Head of them. 147. We fhall alfo briefly fhew, how the Lord cafiieth out the Concupifcences of Evil, which be- fiege the internal Man from his Birth, and in Place of them planteth Affections of Good, v/hen Man as from himftlf removeth Evils as Sins : It was fnewn above, that -Man hath a natural Mind, a fpiritu- al Mind, and a celeilial Mind ; and that Man is in the natural Mind only, as long as he is in the Con- cupifcences of Evil and their Delights, and that fo long the fpiritual Mind is fliut ; but as foon ^s Man after Seif-exammation acknowledgeth Evils as Sins againft The iDlVlKJE pROVIJDENCDe 201 againfl: God, becaufe they are contrary to the Di- vine Laws, and therefore v/ilieth to defift from them, then the Lord opcneth the fpiritual Tvlind, and entereth into the natural by the Affedions of Truth and Goodiiefs, and entereth into the rational, and from it difpofeth in Order the Thing,^.^ which are contrary to Order below in the natural : This it is which appeareth to Man as a Combat, and in thofe who have indulged much in the Delights of £vil, as TenTptation ; for it gives Pain to the Mind, when the Order of its Thoughts is inverted. Now forafmuch as the Combat is againfl the Things which are in Man himfelf, and which Man iecls as his own> and no one can figlit againft himfelf ex* Cept from what is interior in himleif, and except from Liberty there, it follows, that the internal Man then fighteth againft the external, ar^d that he do- eth it from Liberty, and that he forceth the Exter- nal to Obedience ; this therefore is to force hin-felf : That this is not contrary to Liberty and Rationality, but according to them, is evident. 148. Moreover every Man willeth to be free^ and not to remove Liberty but Servitude from him- felf ; every Boy, who is under a Mafter, willeth to be his own Mafter, and fo to be free ; the fame is true of every Man-Servant under his Mafter, and of eve- ry Maid-Servant under her Miftrefs ; every Virgin alfo willeth to depart out of her Father's Houfe and marry, that fhe may ad freely in her own Houfe ; every Youth who willeth to work, or traffic, or ex- ercife fome Office, while he is in Servitude under others, willeth to be emancipated, that he may be his own Mafter : All they, who ferve fpontancoufly B B - for 202 Angelic Wisdom concjirninC: for the Sake of Liberty, force themfelves, and hit forcing themfelves they acl from Liberty according to Reafon, but from interior Liberty, from which exterior Liberty is regarded as a Servant. Thefe Confiderations are adduced, in Order to confirm the Pofition, that for a Man to force himfelf is not contrary to Rationality and Liberty* 149. One. Reafon why Man doth not in like Manner defire to come out of fpiritual Servitude^ into fpiritual Liberty, is, that he doth not know what fpiritual Servitude is, and what fpiritual Lib- erty is ; he hath not the Truths which teach it, and without Truths it is thought that fpiritual Servitude is Liberty, and fpiritual Liberty Servitude. Anoth- er Reafon is, becaufe the Religion of the Chrifiian World hath fhut up the Underftanding, and Soli- fidianifm (the Dodrine of Faith alone) hath fealed it,, for they have both placed about themfelves, like an Iron Wall, this Tenet, that Theological 1 hings tranfcend, and that therefore they are not to be ap- proached from any Rationality, and that they are for the Blind and not for thofe who fee ; by this the Truths have been hid, which would teach what fpiritual Liberty is. A third Realon is, becaufe fevv' examine themfelves, and fee their Sins, and he who doth not fee them, and defift from them, is in the Liberty of them, wliich is infernal Liberty, in itfelf Servitude, and from this to fee celeftlal Liber- ty, which is Liberty itfelf, is like feeing Light from Darknefs, and feeing under a black Cloud that •which is above it from the Sun. Hence it is, that it is not known what celeftial Liberty is, and that •Uie Difference between this and infernal Liberty is like The Divine Providence. 203 ^ke the Difference between what is alive and what is dead. 150. VI. That the external Man is to be reformed by the internal^ and jiot vice verfa* By the internal and the external Man the fame is meant as by the internal and the external Principle of Thought, which have often been treated of before : The Reafon why the external is reformed by the inter- nal, is, becaufe the internal fioweth into the exter- nal, and not vice verfa : That there is a fpiritual Influx into natural, and not vice verfa^ is known in the learned World : And that the internal Man is firfl: to be purified and renewed.;, and thereby the externa], is known in the Church ; the Reafon why it is known, is, becaufe the Lord and Reafon dictate it; the Lord teacheth it in thefe Words, " Wo unto you^ Hypocrites^ fcr ye make clean the Oiifftdc of the Cup and of the Platter^ but ivithin they are full of Extortion and Excefs : Thou blind Fharifee, cleanfe jirjl the Infide of the Cup and Flatter^ that the Outjlde of them may be clean alfoj* Matt, xxiii. 25, 16 : That Reafon dictates it, is fliewn abundantly in the Trea- tife on The Divine Love and the Divine Wis- dom : For what the Lord teacheth, he giveth alfo to Man to perceive by Reafon ; and this, two Ways, one in that. he feeth in himfelf that a Thing is ^o^ as foon as he heareth it ; the other, in that he un- derflandeth it by Reafons ; to fee in himfelf is in his internal Man, and to underftand by Reafons is in his external Man : Who doth not fee in himfelf this Truth, when he hears it declared, that the inter- nal Man is firft to be purified, and thereby the ex- ternal ? But he who doth not receive a general Idea of ^o4 Angelic Wisdom concerning of this by InHux fioin Heaveir, may be led into a Miitake when he coniults the external Principle of his Thought ; for from this external Principle no one feeth otheiwiie, than that external Works, which are of Caarity and Piety, are faving without internal Principles ; and fo in other Cafes, as that Sight and Hea,ring flow into Thought, and Smell and Talie into Perception, and thus that what is ex- ternal flows into what is internal, when neverthelefa it is the dired contrary ; that Things feen and heard appear to flow into the Thought, is a Fallacy, for the tJnderitanding feeth in the Eye and heareth in the Ear, and not vUe verfa ; So in other Cafes. 151. But here it may be expedient to obferve briefly, how the internal Man is reformed, and thereby the external 3 The internal Man is not re-^ formed by knowing, underftanding, and being wife alone ; confequently not by thinking alone ; but by willing that which Knowledge, Intelligence, and Wiidom teach eth ; when Man knows, underllands, and hath Wifdom to fee, that there are fuch Places as Heaven and Hell, and that all Evil is from Hell, and all Good from Heaven, if then he willeth not Evil becaufe it is from Hell, but wiL^th Good be* Cciufe :t is from Heaven, in this Cafe he is in the fird Step of Reformation, and in the Entrance out of Hell into Heaven ; when Man advanceth farther, and wilieth to defifl from Evils, he is in the fecond Step of Refonnation, and then he is out of Hellj but xiOii yet in Heaven, which he feeth above him 1 Ihere mull: be this Internal, in Order that Man may be reformed ; but unlefs both, as well the Ex- ternal ab the Internal be reformed, then Man is not reformed -^ The Divine Providence. ^oj reformed ; the External is reformed by the Internal, when the External defifts from the Evils, which the Internal vvilleth not, becaufe they are infernal, and more fo when he therefore lliunneth them, and fighteth againft them ; thus the Internal is to will, and the Exte'rnal is to do, for unlefs a Perfon doeth that which he wilkth, within there is a Principle which willeth it not, and at length he cometh not to will it. From thefe few Confiderations it may be fcen, how the external Man is reformed by the internal : This alfo is what is meant by the Lord's Words to Peter, " Jefus faid^ If I wajh thee notj ihou haft no Part with Me ; Peter faith imto hhiiy hordy not my Feet only, but afo viy Hands and my Hi: ad : yefus faith to him^ Pic that is wafx'd^ need* £th notj but that his Feet be wajhed, and is clean every whit^^ J^hn xiii. 8, 9, lo : By Wafiiing is here meant fpiritual Wafhing, which is purification from Evils ; by wafhing the Head and Hands is meant to purify the internal Man, and by wafiiing the Feet is meant to purify the external ; that when the internal Man is purified, the external is to be purified., is meant by thefe Words, " He that is wafhed, needeth only that his Feet be waflied ;'* that all Purification from Evils is from the Lord, \^ meant by thefe Words, " If I wafli thee not, thou i^aff no Part with Me." That Wafliing among the Jews reprefented Purification from Evils, and that this is fignified by Wafiiing in the Word, and that by wafiiing the Feet is fignified the Purification of the natural or external Man, is abundantly fliewii in the Arcana Celestia. 152. Forafmuch ^o6 Angelic Wisdom cokcerking 152. Forafmuch as Man hath an Internal and an External, and both are to be reformed in Order that the Man may be reformed, and forafmuch as no one can be reformed, except he explore himfelf, fee, and acknowledge his Evils, and afterwards de* fill from them, it follows, that not only the Exter- nal is to be explored, but alfo the Internal ; if the Ex* ternal only is explored, Man doth not fee any Thing but v/hat he hath or hath not actually committed, as that he hath not committed Murder, nor Adultery, nor Theft, nor borne falfe Witnefs, &c. ; thus he explores the Evils of his Body, and not the Evils of his Spirit, and yet the Evils of the Spirit are to be explored, in Order that any one may be reformed ; for Man lives a Spirit after Death, and all the Evils •which are in the Spirit remain, and the Spirit is no other wife explored, than by Man's attending to his Thoughts, efpecially to his Intentions, for the Inten- tions are Thoughts from the Will ; in the Will Evils are in their Origin and in their Root, that is, in their Concupifcences and in their Delights, and unlefs they are feen and acknowledged, Man is itill in Evils, notwithflanding he may not have commits ted them in Externals : That to think from Inten- tion, is to will and to do, is evident from the Words of the Lord, " Whofoever looketb on a Woman ^ to liijl after her^ hath committed Adultery with her aheady in his Hearty" Matt. v. 28 : Such is the Search of the internal Man, by which the external Man is elfentially explored. 153. I have often wondered, that although the whole Chrillian World is informed, that Evils are to be Ihunned as Sins, and that otherwife they are not The Divine Providence, 207 not remitted, and that if Sins r.re not remitted there is no Salvation, yet neverthelefs fcarce one in a thoufand knoweth this , this was inquired into in the fpiritual World, and it was found to be fo ; for every one in the Chriftian World is informed here- of from the Players read before thofe who receive the Holy Supper, it being plainly declared therein ; and yet when they are afked whether they know this, they anfvver that they do not know it, and they did not know it ; the Reafon is, becaufe they did not think about it, and moft of them only thought of Faith, and of Salvation by Faith alone. And I have alfo wondered, that Faith alone fo fhuts the Eyes, that they who have confirmed themfelve^ in it, when they read the Word, fee Nothing of what is there faid of Love, Charity, and Works ; it is as though they had fmeared over all Things in the Word with Faith, as he who fmears a Writing over with Paint, whereby not any Thing which is underneath appears, and if any Thing appears, it is abforbed by Faith, and faid to be Faith, Thai !2o8 Angelic Wisdom .conceunino That it is a Law of the Divine Provi^ deuce, that Man he led. and taught of the Lord out of Heaven^ by the Word, and by Dodrine and Preo.chings from the Word, and this in all Appearance asf rora nimidt. 154. "FN Appearance Man is led and taught from ^ himfelf, but in Truth he is \t^ and taught of th . Lord cnly : They v/ho confirm the Appear- ance m themfelves. and not at the fame Time the Truth, are not able to remove Evils as Sins from themfelves ; but they who confirm the Appearance, and at the fame Time the Truth in themfelves, are able ; for Evils as SinS^ are removed in Appearance by Man, and in Truth by the Eord ; the latter Per- fons can be reformed, but the former cannot. They who confirm Appearance, and not at the fame Time Truth in themfelves, are all interior Idolators, for they are V/orfliippers of Self and the World ; if they have no Religion, they become Worlhippers of Nature, and fo Atheifts ; but if they have any Religion, they become Worfhippers of Men, and at^ the fame Time of Images ; thefe are they who are meant in the firft Commandment of the Decalogue, who worfhip other Gods ; but they who confirm in themfelves Appearance, and at the fame Tim.e Truth, become Worfliippets of the Lord, for the Lord elevates them from their Proprium, (own prop- er Life) which is principled ia Appearance, and ieadeth Ths Divine Providence. 209 leadeth them into Light, in which the Truth is, and which is the Truth, and giveth them to perceive interiorly, that they are not led and taught of them- felves, but of the Lord. The rational (Faculty) of both thefe may appear to many as alike, but it is diflimilar ; the rational Faculty of thofe who are principled in Appearance, and at the fame Time in the Truth, is a fpiritual Rational ; but the rational Faculty of thofe^ v/ho are principled in Appearance, and not at the fame Time in the Truth, is a natural Rational ; this latter rational Faculty may be com- pared to a Garden, fuch as it is in the Light of Winter ; whereas the fpiritual rational Faculty may be compared to a Garden, fuch as it is in the Light of Spring. But of this, more in what fallows, in this Order* L That Man is led and taught of the Lord only. IL That Man is led and taught of the Lord alone through the Angelic Heaven and out of it. IIL That Man is led of the Lord by Influx, and taught by Illumination^ IV. That Man is taught of the Lord by the Word, and by Dodrine and Preach- ings from the Word, therefore immediately by Him alone. V. That Man is led and tatio^ht of the Lord in Externals to all Appearance as of himfelf. 155. I. Thai Man is led a?id taught of the Lord only : This flows, as an univerfal Confequence, from all that w^as fhewn in the Treatife concerning The Divine Love a^;d thk Divine Wisdom j as well from what is there demonltrated concerning the Divine Love of the Lord and his Divine Wif- dom in Part the Firft ; as concerning the Sun of the fpiritual World, and the Sun of the natural World, in Part the Second ^ alio concerning De- C c grees 2IO Angelic "Wisdom concerning grees In Part the Third ; and concerning the Crea^ tion of the Univerfe, in Part the Fourth ; as alfo, concerning the Creation of Man, in Part the Fifth. 156. Ihe Reafon why Man is led and taught of the Lord only, is, becaufe he liveth from the Lord only, for the Will of his Life is led, and the Under- flanding of his Life is taught : This, however, is contrary to Appearance, for it appears to Man as if he lived from himfelf, and yet the Truth is, that he liveth from the Lord, and not from himfelf 1 Now forafmuch as there cannot be given to Man, fo long as he is in the World, a Perception of Sen- fation that he hveth from the Lord only, becaufe the -Appearance that he liveth from himfelf is not tak- en away from him (for without it Man is not Man} therefore this mull be evinced by Reafons, which mull afterwards be confirmed by Experience, and laiUy by the Word. 157. That Man liveth from the Lord only, and not from himfelf, niay be evinced by thefe Reafons ; that there is one only EiTence, one only Subllance, and one only Form, from which are all the Eflences^ Subflances, and Forms, Which are created : That one only jL&ncey Subflance, and Form, is the Di- vine Love and the Divine Wifdom, from Vvhich are all Things, which have Relation to Love and Wif- dom in Man : That moreover it is Good itfelf and Truth itfelf, to which all Thin^rs have Relation : o And that this is Life, from which is the Life of All, and all Things of Life : Alfo that the Self-fubfifting and Sole-fubfiiling Principle (Unicinn et Jpfian) is Omniprefent, Omnifcient, and Omnipotent, iyvidi that this Self-fubfifling and Sole-fubfifling Principle is The Divine Providence. 2 it k the Lord from Eternity, or Jehovah. First, That there is one only Epncc^ one only Subjiancc^ and one only Forin^ from which all the Effcnccs^ Subflanccs^ and the Soul of the Underllanding is Wifdom, both from the Lord, it follows, that Love is the Life of every one, and that the Quality of fuch Life is ac cording to the Nature of Love's Conjunction with Wifdom ; or what is the fame, that the Will is the Life of every one, and that the Quality of fuch Life is according to the Nature of the Will's Conjunc- tion with the Underflanding ; But on this Subjed fee more in the Treatife above, and efpecially iix The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Di- vine Love and the Divine Wisdom, in Part the Firft and Part the Fifth. 194. In the above mentioned Treatifes it is alfo demgnftrated, that the Life's Love produces out of itfelf fubaltern Loves, which are called Affe6lions, and that thefe are exterior and interior ; and that thefe taken together make as it v/ere one Dominion or Kingdom, in which the Life's Love is Lord or King : Moreover it is demonftrated, that thofe fub- altern Loves or Affedions adjoin to themfelves Conforts, each its own^ the interior Afre»!^ions Con- forts which are called Perceptions, and the exterior Affedions Conforts which are called Thoughts, and that 26o Angelic Wisdom concerning that each cohabits with its own Confort, and dif- charges the Fundions of its Life ; and that there is fuch a Conjundion of both, as is that of the.Ef- fence CEfJ of Life with the Exiftence of Life, which is fuch, that one is not any Thing, but, in Conjandion with the other, for what is the Eflence of Life, unlefs it exifts, and what is the Exiftence of Life but from the Elfence of Life ? AL^o, that the Conjundion of Life is fuch, as is that of Sound and Harmony, hkewife of Sound and Speech, in gener- r..l fuch as is that of the Pulfation of the Heart and the Refpiration of the Lungs ; w^hich Conjundion is fuch, that one without the other is not any Thing, and that one by Conjunction with the other becomes Something : Conjunclions mud either be in them., or are produced by them : As for Example, in the Cafe of Sound ; he who thinks that Sound is any Thing, unlets there be Something in it which dif. tinguifnes, is miftaken : Sound alfo correfponds to Affedion in Man, and forafmuch as there is in it ab.vavs Something which didinguiflics, therefore from the Sound or Tone of a Man's Voice in fpeak- jno- is known the AlTedion of his Love, and from its Variation, which is Speech, is known his Thought : Hence it is, that the wifer Angels, bare- ly from the Sound or I'one of Voice of him v/ho fpeaks, perceive his Life's Loves, together with certain Affedions wdiich are Derivations. 1 hefe Things are adduced in Order that it may be known, that there doth not exift any AlTedion without its Thought, nor any Thought without its Affedion : But more may be feen on this Subjed above in this Treatife, and in The Angelic Wisdom con^ CERNING The Divine Providence. 261 CERNING THE DiVINE LoVE AND THE DiVlNE Wisdom. 195. Now forafmuch as the Life*s Love hath its Delight, and the Wifdom thereof hath its Pleafant- nefs, and in hke Manner every Affedion, which in its EfTence is a fubaltern Love derived from the Life's Lovej as a Stream from its Fountain, or as a Branch from its Tree, or as an Artery from its Heart, therefore every AiTection hath its DeUght, and thence every Perception and Thought its Pleaf- antnefs ; hence it follows, that thofe Delights and PleafantnefTes conftitute the Life of Man : What is Life without its Delight and Pleafantnefs ? It is not any Thing animated but inanimate ; diminifh De- light and Pleafantnefs, and you will grow cold or torpid ; take them away, and you will expire and die :*From the Delights of the AiFedions, and the PleafantnefTes of the Perceptions and Thoughts, is derived the vital Heat. Since every Affetlion hath its Delight, and the Thought thence derived its Pleafantnefs, it is evident whence Good and Truth is, alfo what Good and Truth are in their Eflence : Good is to every one that which is the Delight of his Affection, and Truth that which is the Pleafant- nefs of his Thought derived therefrom : For every one calleth that good, which from the Love of his Will he feeleth delightful, and he calleth that true, which from the Wifdom of his Underftanding he perceiveth pleafant as therein grounded : They both flow from the Life's Love, as Water from a Fountain, or as Blood from the Heart : Each taken together is like Tide or Atmcfphere, in which the whole human Mind dwells. Thefe two, Delight and a62 Angelic Wisdom concerning and Pleafantnefs, in the Mind are fpirltual, but ia the Body they are natural ; as exifting in both they conftitute the Life of Man. Hence it is evident Tvhat that is in Man which is called good, and what that which is called true : Alfo, what that is which is called evil in Man, and what that which is called falfe, namely, that is evil to him, which deftroys the Delight of his AiTeOiion, and that falfe, which deftroys the Pleafantnefs of his Thought derived thence ; it is farther evident, that Evil from the l)elight thereof, and what is Falfe from the Pleaf- antnefs thereof, may be called and thought good nnd true. Goods and Truths are indeed Changes and Variations of State in the Forms of the Mind, but thefe are only perceived and live by their Dei lights and PleafantnefTes. Thefe Things are addu- ced, that it may be known what Affedion and Thought are in their Life. 196. Now whereas it is the Mind of Man w^hich thinks, and thinks from the Delight of its Alfedion, and not the Body j and whereas the Mind of Man is his Spirit, which lives after Death, it follows, that the Spirit of Man is Nothing but Affedion and Thought therefrom derived. That there cannot exill: any Thought without AfFe£lion, is very evident from Spirits and Angels in the fpiritual World, for all there think from the Affections of their Life's Love, and the Delight thereof encompaffes . every one, as his Atmofphere ; and all are connected there according to thefe Spheres exhahng from their Af- fedlons through their Thoughts : ?4oreover the Charader and (^ality of every one is known from ihe Sphere of his Life. Hence it may aopcar, that all The Divine Providence. 263 all Thought is from AfFe£lion, and that it is the Form of its AfFedlion. It is the fame with the Will and the Underftanding ; the fame with Good and Truth ; and the fame with Charity and Faith. 197. U. That the Affecliom of a Man's Life's Love are known to the Lcrd only, Man knows Ixis Thoughts and thence his Intentions, becaufe he fees them in himfelf ; and forafmuch as all Prudence is from them, he fees that alfo in himfelf ; in this Cafe, if his Life's Love is the Love of Self, he comes into the Pride of Self-derived Intelligence, and afcribes Prudence to himfelf ; and colleds Ar- guments in Favour ttiereof, and fo recedes from the Acknowledgment cf the Divine Providence : The Cafe is fimilar, if the Love of the World is his Life's Love ; yet fuch a one doth not recede in the fame Degree : From which Confiderations it is evident, that thefe two Loves afcribe all Things to Man and his Prudence ; and if they are examined more in- teriorly, Nothing to God and his PrQvidence : Wherefore when they happen to hear, that the Truth is, that human Prudence is Nothing, but that it is the Divine Providence alone, which gov- erns all Things, if they are abfolute Atheifts, they laugh at it y but if they retain any Thing of Relig- ion in the Memory, and it is affirmed to them, that all Wifdom is from Cod, they do indeed at firlt Hearing acknowledge it, but yet inwardly in their Spirit they deny it. Such particularly are Prieflis, who love themfelves better than God, and the World better than Heaven, or what amounts to the fame Thing, who worfhip God for the Sake of Honours and Inrereft, and yet preach that Charit/ and 264 Angelic Wisdom concerning and Faith, every Thing good and true, likewife all Wifdom, yea all Prudence, are from God, and Nothing from Man. Once in the fpiritual World I heard two Priefts difputing with a certain royal Legale [Legatus Regnf] concerning human Pru- dence, whether it be from God or from Man, and their Difpute was w^arm : They all three in their Hearts thought alike, namely, that human Prudence does every I'hing, and the Divine Providence Noth- ing : But the Pi it lis, who were then under the In- fluence of theological Zeal, faid, that Nothing of Wifdom and Prudence is from Man ; and when. the Legate replied, that at that Rate neither would there be any Thought from Man, they faid, that there was none : But forafmuch as it was perceived by the Angels, that thefe three were of the fame Opinion, the Legate was told to put on the Gar- ments of a Prieft, and think himfelf a Prieft, and then to fpeak ; accordingly he did put them on^ and thought as he was defired, and then he declar- ed loudly, that there never can be any Wifdom or Prudence in Man, but from God, and defended himfelf with his ufual Eloquence, full of rational Arguments : Afterwards they faid to the two Prieds alfo, put off your Garments and put on the Gar- ments of political Minifters, and think yourfelves fuch, and they did fo, and then at the fame Time thought from their inner Selves, and fpake from. Arguments which they had before cherifhed in- wardly in Favour of human Prudence againft the Divine Providence : Afterwards thefe three, foraf- much as they were in a fmiiiar Faith, became inti- mate The Divine Providence. 26^, mate Friends [_Amici Cordis,^ and entered together into the Path of Self-derived Prudence, which leads toPIell." 198. It was nicwn ahovc, that Man hath not any Thought, but from fome Atiection of his Life's Love, and that Thought Is Nothing elfe but the Form of Affeftion : Since therefore Man fees his Thought, and cannot fee his Af[:e6llon, for the lat- ter he feels, it follows, that from Sight, which is in Appearance, he concludes that Self-derived Pru- dence does every Thing ; and not from AfTedlon, which does not come into Sight, but into Senfa- tion : For Affeftion only manifelh itfelf by a cer- tain Delight of Thought, and Pleafure of Ratiocin- ation concerning it, and then this Pleafure and De- light maketh one with Thought in thofe, who have Faith in Self-derived Prudence from the Love of Self or the Love of the World ; and Thought flows in its Delight as a Ship in the Current of a River, to which the Sailor doth not attend, but only to the Sails which he expands. 199. A Man can indeed reflect upon the Delight of his external Affection, when it acl:s as one with the Delight of any bodily Senfe, but yet he does not reflecl that that Delight is from the Delight of AifeQIon in Thought : As for Example, when a Fornicator feeth an Harlot, his Eyes fparkle with the Fire of Lafcivioufnefs, and from it he feeleth Delight in the Body, but yet he doth not feel the Delight of his Affection or Concupifcence in Thought, but as Something of Cupidity in the Body : It is the fame with a Robber in the Woods when he feeth Travel- lers; and a Pirate in the Sea when he feeth Ships ; K K the 266 Angelic Wisdom concerning the Cafe is fimilar with others : That thefe Delights govern his Thoughts, and that his Thoughts are Nothing without them, is evident, but he thinks that they are only Thoughts, when neverthelefs Thoughts are Nothing but AfFedions compofed in- to Forms by his Life's Love, that they may appear in the Light, for all Affedion is in Heat, and all Thought in Light. Thefe are Affections of exter- nal Thought, which indeed manifeft themfelves in the Senfation of the Body, but rarely in the Thought of the Mind. But the Affections of internal Thought, from which the external exifl, never manifeft them- felves to a Man : Of thefe a Man knows no more, than a Traveller fleeping in a Carriage doth of his Journey, or than a Man feels the Circumrotation of the Earth : Now fmce a Man knoweth Nothing of the Things which are tranfaded in the Interiors of his Mind, which are fo infinite that they cannot be defined by Numbers, and yet the few Externals, which come to the Sight of his Thought, are pro- duced from Interiors, and the Interiors are regula- ted of the Lord alone by his Divine Providence, and thofe few Externals by the Lord in Conjunc- tion with Man ; how then can any one fay, that his own Prudence does every Thing ? If you were only to fee one Idea of Thought difclofed, you would fee more ftupendous Things than Tongue can utter. That in the Interiors of the Mind of Man there are fuch infinite Things, that they can- not be defined by Numbers, is evident from the in- finite Number of Things in the Body, from which Nothing comes to the Sight and Senfe, but Adion alone in much Simplicity, to which neverthelefs ' > concur The Divine PttoviDENCE. 267 concur Thoufands of moving or mufcular Fibres, Thoufands of nervous Fibres, Thoufands of Blood- Veffels, and Thoufands of pulmonary Air-Veflels, which mull needs co-operate in every A6lion, Thoufands of Things in the Brains and in the fpinal Marrow, and many more ftill in the fpiritual Man, which is the human Mind, all the Things whereof are Forms of AfFe6lions, and of Perceptions and Thoughts thence derived. Doth not the Soul which difpofeth Things interior, alfo difpofe Adlions by Virtue thereof ? The Soul of Man is Nothing elfe but the Love of his Will, and the Love of his Underftanding thence derived j fuch as this Love is, fuch is the whole Man ; and he is made fuch according to the Difpofition in Externals in which Man is concerned with the Lord : Wherefore if he attributes all Things to himfelf and to Nature, his Soul becomes the Love of Self ; but if he attributes all Things to the Lord, his Soul becomes the Love of the Lord : And the latter Love is celeflial, whereas the former is infernal. 200. Now forafmuch as the Dfclights of Man's Affections carry a Man from Intimates [the Thing! which are inmoft] by the Interiors to the Exteriors, and at length to the Extremes, which are in the Body, as the Airs and Currents carry a Ship, and Nothing of them appears to Man, but what is done in the Extremes of the Mind and the Extremes of the Body, how then can Man claim to himfelf what is Divine from this Circumftance alone, that thofe few Extremes appear to him as his own ? Still lefs ought he to claim to himfelf what is Divine, when ^e knowxth frc^m Tiu Word, that a Man cannot take c5S Angelic Wisdom concerning take any Thing from himfelf, except it be given him from Heaven ; and from Reason, that that Appearance is given him, that he may Hve a Man, fee what is good and evil, choofe one or the other, appropriate to himfelf that which he choofeth, to the Intent there may be a PolTibility of his being joined reciprocally to the Lord, reformed, regenerated, faved, and of his living to Eternity. That this Ap* pearance was given to Man, that he might a£t from Liberty according to Reafon, therefore as if from himfeif, and not hang down his Hands and wait for Influx, was faid and ihewn above. Hence follows the Confirmation of that which was to be demon- itrated Thirdly, That the Affedions of the Life's Love of Man are led of the Lord by his Divine Providence^ and in fuch Cafe at the fame Time his Thoughts^ from ^vhich human Prudence is derived, 20 1. IV. That the Lord by his Divine Providence compofeth the Affections of the whole Human Race in- io one Form^ which is the Human, That this is an Univerfal of the Divine Providence, will be feen in the fubfequent Paragraph ; they who aicribe all Things to Nature, afcribe all Things alfo to human Prudence ; for they who afcribe all Things to Na- ture, in their Hearts deny God, and they who afcribe all Things to human Prudence, deny in their Hearts the Divine Providence ; one is n6t feparable from the other. But yet both thefe Sorts of Per- fons, for the Sake of their Reputation, and for Fear of lofmg it, profefs with their Mouths, that the Divine Piovidence is univerfal or general, and that the Particulars of it reft: with Man [_fmt apud Homi- Yiem /] and that thefe Particulars in their Complete The Divine Providence. 269 are underftood by human Prudence. But think with yourfelf, what is univerfal (or general) Provi- dence, when Singulars (or Particulars) are fepara* ted from it ? Is it any Thing more than a bare Word ? For that is called univerfal, which is form- ed of Singulars conneded together, as that is com- mon (or a Community) which exifts from Particu- lars : If therefore you feparate Singulars, what is the Univerfal in fuch Cafe, but like Something which is empty within, confequently like a Surface within which there is Nothing, or like a Complex containing Nothing ? If it fhould be alleged, that the Divine Providence is an univerfal Government,^ 3nd that not any Thing is governed, but only kept in its Connexion, and the Things which relate to Government [_ilia qua Reg'minis funf\ are difpofed by others, can this be called an univerfal Govern- ment ? No King hath fuch a Government as this ; for if a King were to allow his Subjeds to govern every Thing in his Kingdom, he would no longer be a King, but would only be called a King, therefore would have only a nominal Dignity and no real Dignity : Such a King cannot be faid to hold the Government, much lefs univerfal Government. Providence with God is called Prudence with Man ; ;as there cannot be faid to be univerfal Prudence in a King, who hath referved to himfelf no more than the Name to the Intent that his Kingdom may be called a Kingdom, and fo kept together ; fo neither could there be faid to be an univerfal Providence, if Men from their own Prudence were to provide for every Thing, It is the fame with the Name of wniverfal Providence, and of univerfal Government, as 270 Angelic Wisdom concerning as fpoken in Relation to Nature, when it is under- flood that God created Nature, and endued her ■with a Power of producing all Things from herfelf : What is univerfal Providence at this Rate, but a metaphyfical Term, or a mere Sound without any Meaning ? Neither do many of thofe, v/ho attribute to Nature every Thing that is produced, and to hu- man Prudence every Thing that is done, and yet profefs with their Mouths that God created Na- ture, think othervvife of the Divine Providence than as of an empty Sound. But the Cafe really is, that the Divine Providence exifls in the molt minute Particulars of Nature, and in the moft niinute Particulars of human Prudence, and by governing thefe Particulars, governs univerfally. 202. The Divine Pro\idence of the Lord is uni- verfal from Things the moll particular in this Cir- cumftance, that he created the Unlverfe, to the End that an infinite and eternal Creation might exift therein from Himfelf ; and this Creation exifls by the Lord's forming out of Men a Heaven, which is in his Sight as one Man, who is the Image and Likenefs of Himfelf : That Heaven, as formed out of Men, is fuch in the Sight of the Lord, and that this was the End of Creation, was fhewn above, n. 27 to 45 : And that the Divine in all that he doeth, refpe£leth Infinite and Eternal, n. ^6 to 69. The Infinite and Eternal, which the Lord hath Refped to in forming his Heaven out of Men, is, that it may be enlarged to Infinity and Eternity ; and thus that he may conftanily dwell in the End of his Creation. This Creation is infniite and eternal, which the Lord .provided by the Creation of the Univerfe, and in this Creation The Divine Providence, 271 Creation he is conftantly engaged by his Divine Providence. Who that knoweth and believeth from the Dodrine of the Church, that God is infinite and eternal, (for the DoBrine of all the Churches in the Chrijilan World holds ^ that God the Father^ God the So7t, and God the Holy Ghofi, is Infinite^ Eternal^ Uncreate^ and Onmipotcnt ; fee Athanafius* s Creed) can be fo void of Reafon as not to afient, when he heareth, that God cannot do otherwife than refped: Infinity and Eternity in his great Work of Creation, (for how can he aO: otherwife when he a6ls froiu Hinifelf) as alfo that he refpe^teth this in the hu- man Race, out of which he fonneth his own Heav- en ? W^hat eh'e then can the Divine Providence have for its End, but the Reformation and Salvation of the human Race ? And no one can be reformed of himfelf by his own Prudence, but of the Lord by his Divine Providence ; hence it follows, that except the Lord leads Man every Moment, yea every the moft minute Point of Time, Man departs from the Way of Reform.ation, and perifneth : Every Change and Variation of State of the human Mind changes and varies Something in the Series of Things pref- ent, and thereby of Things confequent ; what then mud it not do in the Progreirion to Eternity ? It is like an Arrow (hot from a Bow, w'hich, if its Direc- tion at firfl declines ever fo little from the Mark, at the Diftance of a Mile or more, would diverge im- menfely ; fo it would be if the Lord, every the lead Moment, did not lead and govern the State of hu- man Minds. This the Lord doeth according to the Laws of his Divine Providence ; agreeable to which it is alfo necelTary, that it fhould appear to Man a$ 272 Angelic Wisdom goncernino if he led himfelf ; but the Lord forefeeth how he will lead (or guide) himfelf, and conftantly provides accordingly. That the Laws of PermifTion are al- fo Laws of the Divine Providence ^ and that every Man may be reformed and regenerated ; and thaC there doth not exift any fuch Thing as Predeftina- tion, will be feen in what follows. 203. Since every Man therefore lives after Death to Eternity, and according to his Life here hath his Place aifigned to him either in Heaven or in Hell, and both thefe, as well Heaven as Hell, mull be in fuch a Form as to ad as one, as was faid before ; and no one can occupy any other Place in that Form, but his own, it follows, that the human Race throughout the w^hole World is under the Aufpices of the Lord, and that every one, from his Infancy even to the end of his Life, is led of Him in the mofl minute Particulars, and his Place fore- feen, and at the fame Time provided. From which Confiderations it is evident, that the Divine Provi- dence of the Lord is univerfal, becaufe it governs in the mofl minute Particulars ; and that this is the infinite and eternal Creation which the Lord hath provided for Himfelf by the Creation of the Uni« verfe. Of this univerfal Providence Man doth not fee any Thing, .and if he did, it could not appear to him any otherwife than as fcattered Heaps and Colledions of Materials, out of which a Houfe is to be formed, appear to thofe who pafs by ; but by the Lord it is feen as a magnificent Palace conftant- ly building and enlarging. 204. V. That Heaven and Hell are In fuch a For??u That Heaven is in a human Form, hath been The Divine Providence, 73 been made known in the Work concerning Heav- en AND Hell, publiihed in London, 1758, n. 59 to 102 ; and aifo in the Treatife concerning The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom ; and likewife in fome Parts of thivS Treatife 5 wherefore it is unneceflary to give it further Confirmation. It is faid that Hell alfo is in a human Form, but it is in a monftrous human Form, fuch as is that of the Devil, by whom is meant Hell in its whole Complex ; It is in a human Form, becaufe they alfo, who are there, were born Men, and have moreover thofe two human Faculties, which are called Liberty and Rationality, although they have abufed their Liberty to will and do evil, and their Rationality to think and confirm it. ^05. VI, That they who have acknowledged Na^ iiire alone, and human Prudence alone, conjiitute Helly and they who have acknowledged God and his Divine Providence, conjiitute Heaven, All they, who lead an evil Life, interiorly acknowledge Nature, and hu- man Prudence alone, for fuch Acknowledgment lies inwardly concealed in all Evil, howfoever it may be cloathed and hid under Things good and true ; thefe are only borrowed Garments, or like Decora- tions of Flowers, which perifli, flrewed over Evil left it fliould appear in its Nakednefs. That all who lead an evil Life, interiorly acknowledge Nature, and human Prudence alone, is not known by Reafon of the above common Covering, whereby it is hid from View ; but that they do neverthelefs acknowledge them, may appear from the Origin and Caufe of fuch Acknowledgment, in Order to the Difcovery of which it may be expedient to explain whence L L and 274 Angelic Wisdom concerning and what Self-derived Prudence is ; then whence and what the Divine Providence is ; afterwards who and what Kind of Perfons they are who favour the latter, and alfo who favour the former ; and laft- ly, that they who acknowledge the Divine Prov- idence are in Heaven, and they who acknowledge Self-derived Prudence, are in Hell. 206. Whence and what Self-derived Prudence is ; it is from the Proprium of Man, which is his Nature, and is called his Soul derived from the Par- ent ; this Proprium is the Love of Self, and the Love of the World thence derived, or the Love of the World, and the Love of Self thence derived : The Love of Self is fuch, that it refpeds itfelf only, and others either as vile, or of no Account ; or if it does refpeci any Perfon or Thing, it is only fo long as they honour and worfhip itfelf; intimately in that Love, jufl like the Effort in a Seed to frudify and propagate, there lieth hid a Defire to become great, and if polTible, to be made a King, and then if pofiible, to be deihed : Such is the Devil, becaufe he is the very Love of Self, and is fuch that he adores himfelf, and does not favour any one who doth not alfo adore him ; another Devil like him- felf he hates, becaufe he willieth to be adored alone. Forafmuch as no Love can exifl without its Con- fort, and the Confort of Love or of the Will in Man is called the Underflanding ; w^hen the Love of Self infpires its Love into the Underflanding its Confort, it there becomes Conceit, which is the Conceit of Self-derived Intelligence, from which Self-derived Prudence proceeds. Now forafmuch as the Love of Self defires to be fole Lord of the World, The Divine Providence. 275 World, confequently a God, therefore the Goncu- pifcences of Evil, ^\/hich are Derivations thence, have Life in themfelves from it, as have alfo the Perceptions of Goncupifcences, which are all Sorts of Craft and Cunning ; in like Manner alfo have the Delights of Goncupifcences which are Evils, and their Thoughts which are Falfes : They are all like Servants and Miniilers of their Lord, and aft at his Pieafure, not knovving that they do not a£t, but are acted upon, for they are acled upon by the Love of Self through the Conceit of Self-derived Intelli- gence : Hence it is, that in every Evil, by Virtue of its Origin, Self-derived Prudence lies concealed. The Reafon why an Acknowledgment of Nature alone alfo lies concealed therein, is, becaufe Sclf- Love hath clofed up the Sky-Light of its Houfe, (Feiiejlram Tedi fui) by wdiich there is an open Communication with Heaven, and alfo the Side Windows, led it fliould fee and hear that the Lord alone governeth all Things, and that Nature in her- felf is void of Life, and that the Proprium of Man is Hell, and confequently that the Love of the Propri- um is the Devil ; and then having fhut the Win- dows it is in the Dark, and there maketh a Fire for itfelf, by which it fitteth down with its Confort, and they reafon like Friends, in Favour of Nature againfl God, and In Favour of Sejf-derived Prudence againfl the Divine Providence. 207. Whence and what the Divine Provi- dence Is ; it is the Divine Operation in the Man, who removeth the Love of Self; for Self-Love, as was faid, is the Devil, and Goncupifcences and their Delights are the Evils of his Kingdom, which is Hell ; thefc ayS Angelic Wisdom concerning thefe being removed, the Lord entereth with Affec- tions of neighbourly Love, and openeth the Sky- Light of Man's Houfe, and then his Side Windows, and caufeth him to fee that there is a Heaven, and a Life after Death, and everlafling Happinefs ; and by Means of the fpiritual Light and fpiritual Love at the fame Time in this Cafe, flowing in, caufeth him to acknowledge, that God by his Divine Prov- idence governeth all Things. 208, Who and- what Kind of P erf oris they are 'who favour the latter, and alfo who favour the former: They who acknowledge God, and his Divine Provi- dence, are like the Angels of Heaven, who diflike to be led of themfelves, and love to be led of the Lord ; a Sign that they are led of the Lord, is, that they love their Neighbour. But they who ac- knowledge ISIature and their own Prudence, are like infernal Spirits, who diilike to be led of the Lord, and love to be led of themfelves : Thefe, if they be Perfons of Diliindion in a Kingdom, de- fire to have Dominion in all Things : So alfo if they be Primates of the Church : If they are Judges, they pervert Judgment, andexercife Dominion over the Laws : If they are Men of Learning, they ap. ply Scientifics to confirm the Proprium of Man and Nature : If they are Merchants, they act as Thieves : If Hufbandmen, as Robbers. They are all En- emies of God, and Deriders of the Divine Provi* dence, 209. It is wonderful, that when Heaven i$ open- ed to fuch, and they are told they are mad, and it is alfo made manifell to their Perception that they are fo, which is done by Influx and Illumination^ flill The Divine Providence. 277 ftill out of Indignation they fliut Heaven againft themfelves, and look down to the Earth, which is over Hell : This is the Cafe with fuch of them in the fpiritual World, as are Hill out of Hell, and yet of fuch a Difpofition ; from which Circumftance is evidenced the Error pf thofe who think, if 1 were to fee Heaven-, and hear the Angels fpeak to me, I fliould acknowledge ; but their Underftanding does acknowledge, yet if their "Will does not at the fame Time, they do not acknowledge notwithftanding ; for the Love of the Will infpires (or infufes) into the Underftanding whatfoever it choofes, and not vice verfa^ yea it obliterates every Thing in the Underftanding which is not from itfelf. 210. VII. That all ihefe Things cannot be effed- ed^ imlefs it appears to Man that be ihinketh and difpo- fcth from himfelf. That in Cafe it did not appear to Man, as if he lived from himfelf, and thus thought and willed, fpake and adedas from himfelf, Man would not be Man, is fully demonftrated in the pre- ceding Pages : Hence it follows, that if Man doth not difpofe, as if from his own Prudence, all Things appertaining to his Fundion and Life, he cannot be guided and regulated by the Divine Providence ; for he would be like one ftanding with his Hands hanging down, his Mouth open, his Eyes fliut, arxd his Breath in drawn, in Expectation of Infiux, there- fore he would diveft himfelf of Humanity, which confifts in the Perception and Senfation, that he lives, thinks, wills, fpeaks, and acls as if from him- felf; and at the fame Time he would diveft himfelf of his two Faculties, Liberty and Ratioiiahty, where- by he is diftinguiftied from Bcafts : That without fuch 2yS Angelic Wisdom concerning fuch Appearance no Man would pofTefs the Recep- tive and the Reciprocal Principle, or Recipiency and Reciprocality, and therefore neither Immortality, is demonflrated above in this Treatife, and alfo in that on the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom. Therefore if you defire to be led of the Divine Prov- idence, ufe Pru'dence, as a Servant and Minifter, who may faithfully difpenfe the Goods of his Maf- ter : Such Prudence is the Talent, which was given to the Servants to traffic with, of which they are to give an Account, Luke xix. 13 to 25. Matth. xxv. 14 to 31. Prudence itfelf appears to Man as his own, and it is believed to be his own, fo long as a Man keeps fliut up within himfelf that moil inveter- ate Enemy of God and the Divine Providence, which is Self-Love, who dwells in the Interiors of every Man from his Birth ; if you do not know him, for he defires not to be known, he dwells fe- curely, and guards the- Door, left: it iliould be open- ed, and fo he fnould be caft: out by the Lord. That Door is opened by Man, by fliunning Evils as Sins as if from himfelf, with an Acknowledgment that he doeth fo from the Lord. It is this Prudence with v^hich the Divine Providence ads as one. 211. The Reafon why the Divine Providence operates fo occultly, .that fcarce any one knowcth that it exift:s, is, that P4an may not perifh ; for the Proprium of Man, which is his Will, never ads as one with the Divine Providence ; the Proprium of Man hath an innate Enmity againft; it ; for it is that Serpent which feduced our firft Parents, of which it is written, " / wi/I put E?imity betiveen thee and the Woman^ and beiiveen ihy Seed and her Seed^ it f,: all bru'ife The Divine Providence. 279 hriilfe thy Hcad^^ Gen. III. 15; the Serpent Is Evil of every Kind ; his Head is Self-Love ; the Seed of the Woman is the Lord ; the Enmity put between them is between Man's Self-Love and the Lord, therefore alfo between the Seh^'-derived Prudence of Man and the Divine Providence of the Lord ; for Self-derived Prudence is continually lifting up its Head, and the Divine Providence is continually keeping it down. If Man felt this, he would be en- raged and exafperated againfl God, and would per- iih ; but while he doth not feel or perceive it, he may be enraged and exafperated againfl Men, and againd himfelf, and likewifc againll Fortune, by which he doth not perlfh. Elence it is, that the Lord by his Divine Providence continually leads Man in Freedom, and when he is led in Freedom, it appears no otherwife to Man than that he is led by his own Proprium ; and to lead in Freedom one who Is in Oppofition to him that leads, is like raifmg from the Earth a great refifling Weight by PuUies, by which Means the Weight and Refiii- ance is not felt : Or as when any one is in the Power of an Enemy, whofe Intention is to put him to Death, which he then doth not know, and a Friend condudeth his Efcape through unknown Ways, and afterwards difcovers to him the Ene- my's Intention. 212. Who doth not talk of Fortune, and who doth not acknowledge her, becaufe he talks of her, and becaufe he knows Something of her by Experi- ence ? But who knoweth what fhe is ? That flie is Something, becaufe there is and does exifl fuch a Thing, cannot be denied \ and Nothing can be and, exifl 28o Angelic Wisdom concerning exift without a Caufe ; but the Caufe of this Some^ thing or of Fortune is not known j yet left it fhould be denied, merely by Reafon that the Caufe is not known, lake Dice, or Cards, and play with them^ or confult Players, which of them denies Fortune^ for they play with her and ihe with them in a won- derful Manner ; who can oppofe her, if fhe is obfti* nate ? Doth Ihe not in fuch Cafe make a Jeft of Prudence and Wifdom ? When you throw the Dice and fhuffle the Cards, doth it not feem as if fhe knew and difpofed the Evolutions and Motions of the Hands, to favour one more than another from fome certain Caufe ? Can this Caufe exift from any other Source, than the Divine Providence in Ulti- mates, where by Conftancies and Inconftancies it deals wonderfully with human Prudence, and at the fame Time conceals itfelf. That the Gentiles formerly acknowledged Fortune, and that they of Italy alfo built a Temple for her at Rome, is well known. Concerning this Fortune, which is, as was faid, the Divine Providence in Ultimates, it hath been given to know many Things, which it is not permitted to reveal ; from which it w-as evi- denced to me, that it is not an Illufion of the Mind, nor a Sporting of Nature, nor Something without a Caufe, for Something without a Caufe is not any Thing, but that it is an ocular Teftification, that the Divine Providence operates in the moft: minute Particulars of the Thoughts and Adions of Man. When the Divine Providence operates in the fmalleft Particulars of Matters fo mean and trifling, what muft it not do in the Particulars of Things not mean and trifling, fuch as is the Bufmefs of The Divine Prcvidlnce. 281 of Peace and War upon Earth, and the Bufinefs of Salvation and everlading Life in Heaven ! 213. Sdt i know, that human l^rudcnce bringeth over the Rational (Faculty) to Tide with it, more than the Divine Providence, by Reafon that the latter doth not appear, and the former does : It can jiiore eafily be received, that there is one fole Life, which is God, and that all Men arc Pvccipients of Life from Him, as was abundaruiy (hewn before, and neverthelefs this amounts to the fame Thing, becaufe Prudence is of Life. Who doth not rea- fon for human Prudence and Nature, when he rea- fons from the natural or external Man ? Whereas who doth not reafon in Favour of the Divine Prov- idence and of God, when he reafons from the fpir- itual or internal Man ? But write, I pray you, two Books, (I fpeak this to the natural Man) one in Favour of Self-derived Prudence, and another in Favour of Nature, and fill them with plaufible, probable, and likely Arguments, fuch as in your Opinion are folid, and when you have done, put them into the Hand of any Angei, and I know very well, that he will write under them thcfe few _ Words, They are all Appearances and Fallacies. INI M That 282 Angelic Wisdom concernino That the Divine Providence hath ReJpeH to Things eternal^ and no otherwije to temporary Things^ than Jo far as they accord zvith Things eternal. 214, '' I ^HAT the Divine Providence hath Re- i fped to Things eternal, and no other- wife to temporary Things than fo far as they accord with Things eternal, or make one with them, fhall be demonftrated in the following Order. I. That temporary Things relate to Dignities and Rich- es, therefore to Honours and Emoluments in this World. II. That Things eternal relate to fpirttual Honours and Riches, which are of Love and Wif- dom, in Heaven. III. That Things temporary and eternal are feparated by Man, but joined by the Lord. IV. That the Conjunclion of Things tem- porary and eternal is the Divine Providence of the Lord. 215. I. That temporaj'y Things relate id Dignities and Richesy therefore to Honours and Emohwients in this World. There are many temporary Things, but yet they all relate to Dignities and Riches ; by temporary Things are meant thofe Things which either periih with Time, or ceafe with the Life of Man in this World only ; _ but by Things eternal are meant the Things, which do not perifh and ceafe with Time, therefore not with the Life in this World. Forafmuch as all temporary Things, as was obferved, have Relation to Dignities and Rich- esj The Divine Providence. -283 es, It Is of Importance that the following Points fliould be underftood, namely, What and whence Dignities and Riches are : What is the Nature of the Love of them for their own Sake, and what the Nature of the Love of them for the Sake of Ufe : That thefe two Loves are diftind from each other, as Hell is from Heaven : That the Difference be- tween thefe Loves is difficult to be known b}' Man : But of each of thefe diRinclIy. First : Wb^i and 'whence Dignities and Riches are : Dignities and Riches were totally different in the carlied Ages, from what they afterwards became in Procefs of Time : Dignities in the moff ancient or earliefl Ages were no other, than fuch as take Place among Parents and their Children, which Dignities were Dignities of Love, full of Rcfpe^l and Veneration, not becaufe they received Birth, but Inftruclion and Wifdom from them, which is a fecond Birth, in it- felf fpiritual, becaufe it was the Birth of their Spirit : This was the only Dignity in the earliefl Ages, be- caufe then Nations, Families, and Houfes, dwelt Separately, and were not formed into Kingdoms as in modern Times ; It was the Father of the Family in whom that Dignity refided : Thofe Times were called by the Ancients the golden Age. But after thofe Times the Love of governing, from the fole Delight of that Love, fucceffively crept in ; and forafmuch as Enmity and Hoftility againfl thofe who would not fubmit, introduced themfelves at the fame Time, therefore Nations, Families, and Houfes, from Neceffity collected themfelves into So- cieties [C(£iiis^'] and fet over themfelves one, whom U firfl they called a Judge, afterwards a Prince, 'and 284 Akgelic Wisdom concerning and laflly a King and an Emperor : And then they began alio to fortify themfeives in Towers, Bul- warks, and Wails. From the Judge, Prince, King, or Emperor, was diftufed, as from the Head thrdugh the Body, a Luil of Dominion, which fpread itfelf like a Contagion among many, and fiience arofe Degrees of Dignities, and Honours conformable to them ; and with them Self-Love, and the Pride of Self-derived Prudence. Similar was the Cafe with the Love of Riches : In the mod ancient or earliefl Ages, when Nations and Families dwelt diflindly from each other, there was no other Love of Rich- es than to pofiefs the Neceifaries of Life, which they procured for themfeives by Flocks and Herds, and by Fields, Paftures, and Gardens, from which they derived Subfiftence : Among thdr NecefTaries of Life were alfo reckoned decent Houfes, furniflied with all Kinds of Utenfils, and iikewife Cloathing : The Care and Management of all thefe Things was the Occupation of the Parents, Children, Men-Ser- vants, and Maid-Servants in the Houfe, But after that the Love of Dominion began to prevail, and deftroyed this State of Society, the Love of poflef- fmg Wealth beyond their NeceiTities invaded Pvlan- kind, and grew to fuch a Height, as to produce a Defire of pofieffing the Wealth of all. Thefe tv/o Loves are as it were connefted by Confanguinity, for he who defireth to rule over every Thing, defi- reth alfo to pofiefs every Thing, for thus all Things become his Servants, and he their fole Lord and Mailer : This is evidently inftanced in thofe of the Poplfn Religion, who have exalted their Dominion even into Heav-en, to the Throne of the Lord, upon which The Divine Providence. 285 which they have placed themfelves, and who alfo covet the Riches of the whole Earth, and amafs Treafures without End. Secondly : What is ihe Nature of the Love of Dignities and Riches for their Diun Sake ; and what the Nature of the Love of them for ihe Sake of Ufe : The Love of Dignities and Honours, for the Sake of Dignities and Honours, is the Love of Self, properly the Love of Dominion grounded in the Love of Self ; and the Love of Riches and PofTeiTions, for the Sake of Riches and PofTelTions, is the Love of the World, properly the Love of poflefTing the Goods of others by any Art whatfoever : But the Love of Dignities and Riches, for the Sake of Ufes, is the Love of Ufes, which is the fame with the Love of our Neij^hbour, for tiiat which is the Ground of Man's Action, or for the Sake of which he ads, is his influencing End, ^Finis a quo,2 ^nd is firfl or primary, and other Things are Means, and are fecondary. With Re- fped to the Love of Dignities and Honours for their own Sakes, which is the fame as Self-Love, properly with the Love of Dominion from the Love of Self, it is the Love of Man's Proprium, and the Proprium of Man is all Evil ; hence it is that Man is faid to be born to all Evil, and that his hereditary [Difpofition] is Nothing but Evil ; the hereditary [Difpofition] of Man is his Proprium, in which he is, and into which he comes by Self-Love, and prin- cipally by the Love of Dominion grounded in the Love of Self; for the Man who is principled in that Love, refpedleth Nothing but himfelf, and fo im- rnerfes his Thoughts and Affeclions into his Pro- prium : Hence it is, that in the Love of Self there dwells 286 Angelic Wisdom concerning dwells a Love of doing Evil ; the Reafon is, becaufe he doth not love his Neighbour, but himfelf only ; and he who loves himfelf only, fees others aa with* out himfelf, or as vile^ or of no Account, whom in Comparifon with himfelf he defpifeth, whilfl he makes light of doing them Mifchief : Hence it comes to pafs, that he who is in the Love of Do-, minion grounded in the Lovq of Self, fcruples not to defraud his Neighbour, to commit Adultery with his Neighbour's Wife, to blafpheme him, to breathe Revenge againfh him even unto Death, to exercife Cruelty towards him, and the like : Man. deriveth ihefe evil Difpofitions from this Circumflance, that the Devil himfelf is Nothing elfe but the Love of Dominion grounded in the Love of Self, with whon^ every one is conneded or conjoined, who is princi-. pled in Self-Love, and by whom he is led ; and he who is led of the Devil, that is, of Hell, is led into all the above Evils ; and he is continually led by the Delights of thofe Evils : Hence it is, that all ■who are in Plell, have a Defire to do Mifchief to every one, but they who are in Heaven, have a De-. fire to do Good to every one. From this Oppofi- tion exifls that Principle which is in the Middle, ii> which Man is, and he is therein as in Equilibrio^ fo, that he can turn himfelf either to Hell or to Heav* en ; and in Proportion as he favours the Evils of Self-Love, in the fame Proportion he turns himfelf to Hell, and in Proportion as he removes thofe Evils from himfelf, in the fame Proportion he turns him- felf to Heaven. It hath been given me to feel what and how great the Delight is of the Love of Do- minion grounded in the Love of Self \ 1 was let into The Divine Providenci^. 287 into It, in Order that I might know it, and it was fach, that it exceeded all the Delights in the World ; it was a Delight of the whole Mind from its Inti- mates (inmoft Parts) to its Ultimates, but was only- felt in the Body as a certain Pleafure and Liberty [^lubens'] fwelling in the Bread ; and it was alfo giv- en to perceive, that from this Delight, as their Foun- tain, flow the Delights of all Evils, as of Adultery, Revenge, Fraud, Blafphemy, and in general of eve- ry Thing that is wicked. There is a Similar De- light in the Love of pofTefTmg the Wealth of others by any Art whatfoever, and in the Concupifcences which are Derivations therefrom; but yet not in the fame Degree, unlefs it be joined to the Love of Self. But with Refpecl to Dignities and Riches loved not for their owii Sake, but for the. Sake of Ufes, fuch Love is not the Love of Dignities and Riches, but the Love of Ufes, to which Dignities and Riches are fubfcrvient as Means ; this Love is celeflial : But of it more in what follov/s. Thirdly: T'bat thofc two Loves are diftinB from each other as Heaven and Hell, is evident from what hath nov/ beed faid, to v/hich 1 will add ; that all they who are in the Love of Dominion grounded in the Love of Self, as to their Spirit, are in Hell, v/hofoever they be, whether great or fmall ; and that all who are in that Love, are in the Love of all Evils, which if they do not comuiit, dill in their Spirit they think them allowable, and therefore do them in the Body, when the Confideration of Dignity and Honour, and the Fear of the Law do not .prevent : i^nd what is more, the Love of Dominion grounded in the Love of Self intimately conceals within it Hatred againd God, 2.88 Angelic Wisdom concerning God, confequently againft the Divine Things of the Church, and efpecially againft the Lord ; if Perfons influenced by this Love, acknowledge a God, they do it only with their Mouths^ and if they acknowl- edge the Divine Things of the Church, they do it only for Fear of lofmg Credit. The Reafon why this Love intimately conceals in it Hatred againft the Lord, is, becaufe it is the intimate Property of this Love, to defire to be a God, for it w^orfliips and adores itfelf alone ; hence it is, that if any one hon- ours it fo much, as to fay that it hath Divine Wif- dom, and is the Deity of the World, it loves fuch an one in its Heart. It is otherv;ife with the Love of Dignities and Riches for the Sake of Ufes ; this Love is celeftial, becaufe, as hath been obferved, it is the fame with the Love of 'one's Neighbour. By Ufes are rr.eant Goods, and therefore by doing Ufes, is meant to do Good ; and by doing Ufes or Good, is meant to ferve others and minift.er to them ; they who do fo, although they be in Dignity and in Op- ulence, yet they refpect Dignity and Opulence only as Means of doing Ufes, confequently of ferving and miniftering. Thefe are they who are meant by thefe Words of the Lord, " Whofoever will be great among you^ let him be your Mini/kr ; and whofoever will he chief among you^ lei him be your Servant ^^ Matt. XX. 26, 27 : Thefe alfo are they, to whom Dominion in Heaven is entrufted by the Lord, for to them Dominion is the Means of doing Ufes, or doing Good, confequently of ferving, and when Ufes or Good are the Ends or Loves, then it is not they w^ho have Dominion, but the Lord, for all Good is from Him. Fourthi,y : That the Dif ferenc-: The Divine Prox^idence. 289 ference hstivcsn iherii h difficult to he known by Mayi ; the Reafon is, becaufe mod of thofc who are in Dignity, and in Opulence, alfo perform Ufes, but it is not known whether they performi Ufes for the Sake of themfelves^ or for the Sake of Ufes ; and the lefs fo, becaufe in the Love of Self and of the Worlds there is rriore of the Fire and Ardour of performing Ufes, than in thofe who are not in the Love of Self and of the World ; but the former perform Ufes for the Sake of Fame or Intereft, therefore for the Sake of themfelves ; whereas they who perforiii Ufes for the Sake of Ufes, or Good for the Sake of Good, fuch do not perform them from themfelves, but from the Lord. The DifTer* ence between them is difficult to be known by Man> by Reafon that Man doth not know whether he is led of the Devil or of the Lord ; he who is led of the Devil, doeth Ufes for the Sake of himfelf and the World, but he who is led of the Lord, doeth Ufes for the Sake of the Lord and of Heaven \ and all they do Ufes from the Lord, who fliua Evils as Sins, but all they do Ufes from the Devil, who do not fliun Evils as Sins, for Evil is the Devil, and Ufe or Good is the Lord : Hereby and no oth- erwife is the Difference known ; both in their ex- ternal Form appear al.ke, but in their internal Form they are totally unlike ; one is like Gold which contains within it Drofs, but the other is like Gold which contains within it pure Gold : And one Is like artificial Fruit, which in its external Form ap- pears like Fruit gathered from a Tree, when nev- erthelefs it Is coloured Wax, which hath within ic Dull or Refm \ but the other is like excellent Fruit, N N delightful ^9o Angelic Wisdom concerning 'delightful to the Tafte and Smell, which hath witlv 4h it Seeds. 216. II. That Things eternal relate to fpiritual Honours and Riches^ which are of Love and Wifdo7n in Heaven* Forafmuch as the natural Man calls the Delights of Self-Love, which are alfo the De- lights of the Concupifcences of Evil, Goods, and alfo confirms himfcif in the Notion that they are Goods, he therefore calls Honours and Riches 'Divine BleiTmgs ; but when this natural Man fees that the Wicked, as w^ell as the Good, are ad- vanced to Honours, and promoted to Riches, and ■ftill more when he fees that the Good are in Con- tempt and Poverty, and the Wicked in Glory and Opulence, he thinks with himfelf, w'hat is the Meaning of this, it cannot be of the Divine Prov- idence, for if Divine Providence governed all Things, it would load the Good with Honours and Wealth, and afilicl the Wricked with Poverty and Contempt, and fo compel the Wicked to aknovvl- edge that there is a God and a Divine Providence. But ' the natural Man, unlefs illuminated by the fpiritual Man, that is, unlefs he is at the fame Time fpiritual, doth not fee that Plonours and Riches may pofTibly be Bleffings ; and that poffibly they may alfo be Curfes ; and that when they are Bleffings they are from God, and when they are Curfes they are from the Devil ; that Honours and Wealth are alfo given by the Devil, is known, for thence he is called the Prince of this World. Now Avhereas it is not known when Honours and Riches are Bleffings, and when they are Curfes, therefore it fliall be ihewn^ but in this Order, i. That Honours . The Divine Providence. 291 Honours and Riches are Bleflings, and that they are Curfes. 2. That Honours and Riches, when they are Bleflings, are fpiritual and eternal, and that when they are Cm-fes, they are temporary and perifliing. 3. That the Honours and R.iches, which are Curfes, in Compariibn with the Honours and Riches which are Blellings, are as Nothing to every Thing, or as that which in itfelf doth not exift. to that which in itfelf doth exilL 217, We fhall now proceed to the Illuftration of thefe three Points. First : That Honours a?id Riches 'are BleJJings^ and that they are Curfes : Com- mon Experience teilifies, that the Pious as well as the Impious, or the Juft as well as the Unjuft, that is, the Good as well as the Wicked, are in Dignities and Riches ; and yet it cannot be denied by any one, that the Impious and Unjuft, that is, the Wicked, go to Hell, and the Pious and Juft, that is, the Good, to Heaven : Forafmuch as this is true, it follows, that Dignities and Riches, or Hon- ours and Opulence, are either Bleflings or Curfes, and that with the Good they are Bleflings, and with the Wicked Curfes. In the Work concern- ing Heaven and Hell, publiflied in London ia the Year 1758, n. 357 to "^fi^^ it is fnewn, that there are Rich as well as Poor, and Great as well as Little in Heaven, and alfo in Hell ; from which it is evident, that Dignities and Riches, with thofe who are in Heaven, in this World weie Blellings, and that with thofe who are in Hell, in this World were Curfes. But whence it is that they are Blef- fmgs, and whence that they are Curfes, every one may know, provided he thinks a little on the Sub- jea: 292 Angelic Wisdom cokcernino jecl from Reafon ; namely, that they are Bleflings with thofe who do not not place their Hearts in them, and that they are Curfes with thofe who do place their Hearts in them 5 to place the Heart in them, is to love Self in them, and not to place the Heart in them, is to love Ufes and not Self in them : The Nature and Quality of the Difference between thefe tv/o Loves, was explained above, n. 2 1 5 5 to which may be added, that Dignities and Riches fe- duce fome, and fome they do not feduce; they feduce, when they excite the Loves of Man's Proprium, which is the Love of Self, and that this is the Love of Hell, which is called the Devil, %as alfo fhewn above ; but they do not feduce, when they do not excite that Love. The Reafon why the Wicked as well as the Good are advanced to Honours and pro- moted to Riches, is, becaufe the Wicked as well as the Good perform Ufes, but the Wricked do fo for the Sake of the Honour and Intereft of their own Perfons, whereas the Good for the Sake of the Hon- our and Intereft of the Thing itfelf : The latter re- fped the Honour and Intereft of the Thing itfelf, as principal Caufes, and the Honour and Intereft of their own Perfons as inftrumental Caufes ; but the Wicked refpe6t the Honour and Intereft of their own Perfons as principal Caufes, and the Honour and Intereft of the Thing itfelf as inftrumental Caufes : But who doth not fee, that the Perfon, his Function and Honour, is for the Sake of the Thing which he adminifters, and not vice verfa ? Who doth not fee that a Judge is for the Sake of Juftice, a Magiftrate for the Sake of the Community, and a &ng for the Sake of the Kingdom, and not v/^^r verfa? The Divine Providence. 293 verfa ? Wherefore alfo, according to the Laws of a Kingdom, every one is in Dignity and Honour, fuit- able to the Fundion which he difcharges, and the Dignity thereof; and there is a Difference Uke that between what is principal and what is inftrumental. He who attributes to himfelf, or to his own Perfon, the Honour of the Thing he adininiflers, appears in the fpiritual World, when the fame is reprefented, like a Man with his Body inverted, having his Feet upward, and his head downward. Secondly : ^That Dignities and Riches , when ihey are Blejfings^ fire fpiritual and eternal^ and that when they are Curf- es, they are temporary and perifoing : There are Dig- nities and Riches in Heaven as well as in this World, for there are Governments there, and confequently Adminiftrations and Fun6tions, and there are alfo commercial Dealings [^Negotiationes,'} and confe- quently Riches, becaufe there are Societies and Communities [Ccetus.'] The univerfal Heaven is ^iftinguifhed into two Kingdoms, one of which is called the celeflial, the other the fpiritual Kingdom, and each Kingdom into innumerable Societies, great- er and fmaller, all which, and in which all, are dif- pofed in Order according to the Differences of Love and the Wifdom therefrom derived ; the Societies of the celeftial Kingdom according to the Differ- ences of celeflial Love, which is Love to the Lord ; and the Societies of the fpiritual Kingdom accord- ing to the Differences of fpiritual Love, which is Love towards their Neighbour : Inafmuch as there are fuch Societies, and all who compofe them have been Men in the World, and confequently retain in ttem the Loves in which they were principled in the 294 Angelic Wisdom concerning the World, with this Difference, that in another World they are Ipiritud, and that the Dignities and Riches themlclves are fpii\tual in the fpiritual Kingdom, and celeftial in the eeleftial Kingdom, it follows as a Conlequence, that they have greater Dignities and Riches than others, who have greater Love and Wifdom than others, and thefe are they to whom Dignities and Riches were Bleffings in this World. Hence it may appear, what the Na-. ture of fpiritual Dignities and Riches is, namely^ that thev belonc^ to the Thing and not to the Ferfon : The Perfon indeed who is in Dignity in Heaven, is in Magnificence and Glory, like that of Kings up- on Earth ; but yet they do not reg?j-d the Dignity itfelf as any Thing, but the Ufes, in the Fundion and Adminiflration of which they are engaged ; they receive indeed every one the Honours of his Dignity, but they themfelves do not attribute them to themfelves, but to the Ufes ^ and whereas all Dfes are from the Lord, they attribute them to the Lord, from whom they are derived : Such there- fore arc fpiritual Dignities and Riches, which are eternal. But the Cafe is otherwife with thofe to whom Dignities and Riches in this World were Curfes ; thefe, forafmuch as they attributed them to themfelves, and not to Ufes, and forafmuch as they did not defire that Ufes fhould govern them, but that diey fliould govern Ufes, which they only re- garded as Ufes fo far as they were fubfervient to their own Honour and Glory, are therefore in Hell, where they are vile Drudges in Contempt and IVJif- ery -, for which Rcafon, inafmuch as thefe Digni- ties and Riches pcriili;, they are called temporary and The Div)ine Providence. 295 and perifning. Coucerning both the latter and the former the Lord teacheth as follows, " Lay not up for yourfelves Trcafurcs upon Earth, where Moth and Rud doth corrupt, and where Thieves break through and (leal ; but lay up for yourfelves Trcaf- ures in Heaven, where neither Moth nor Rud doth corrupt, and where Thieves do not break through nor (leal ; for where your Treafure is, there will your Heart be alfo," Matt. vi. 19, 20, 21. Third- ly : That Digniiics and Riches which are Curfcs, compared with the Dignities and Riches which arc Blcjjings^ are as Nothing to c-cery Things or as that which i7i itfeJf doth not exift^ to that which in itfelf doth cxiji. Every Thing which periflieth and be- cometh not any Thing, inwardly in itfelf is not -any Thing, outwardly indeed it is Something, yea it appeareth as much, and to feme as every Thing, fo long as it lads, but in itfelf it is not ; it is like au Oatfide, [Superficies'] within which there is not any' Thing; or like a Player who appears in a King's Apparel only till the Play is ended : But that which remaineth to Eternity, in itfelf is perpetually Some- thing, therefore every Thing ; and moreover it Is, becaufe it doth not ceafe to be. 218. IIL That Things temporary and eternal are feparated by Man^ but that they are joined by the Lord : The Ground and Rcafon of this is, becaufe all Things appertaining Ao Man are temporary, from which Circumdance Man may be called temporary, and all Things appertaining to the Lord are eternal, whence the Lord is called Eternal ; and temporary Things are thofe which have an End and peri(h, but Things eternal are thofe which have no End, and do 2^6 Angelic Wisdom concerning do not perifh. That thefe two cannot be joined to^ gether but by the infinite Wifdom of the Lord, and therefore that they can be joined together by the Lord, and not by Man, every one may fee. But that it may be known, that thefe two are feparated by Man, and joined by the Lord, it (hall be demon- itrated in the following Order, i. What temporary Things are, and what Things eternal. 2, That Man is temporary in himfelf, and that the Lord in Him- felf is eternal ; and that therefore Nothing can pro- ceed from Man but what is temporary, and Nothing from the Lord but what is eternaL 3. That tem- porary Things feparate Things eternal from them* felves, and that Things eternal join temporary Things to themfelves. 4. That the Lord joineth Man to Himfelf by Appearances. 5. And by Cor^ refpondences. 219. But thefe Propofitions ate feveraify to be illuftrated and confirmed by themfelves. First :■ IVbat temporary Things are, and what Things eternal : Temporary Things are all thofe Things which are proper to Nature, and thence proper to Man:^ Things proper to Nature are efpecially Spaces and Times, both fubjeflt to Limits and Terminations 5 the Things which are thence proper to Man, are the Things of his proper Will and his proper Under- ftanding, and which are thence of his AfreQ;ion and Thought, and efpecially the Things which are of his own Prudence ; which things, that they are finite and limited, is well known. But Things eternal are all Things which are proper to the Lord, and from him are as it were proper to Man : Things proper to the Lord are all infinite and eternal, therefore Thi: Divine Proyidexcl. 297 therefore without Time, confequently without Limit and without End : The Things which thence are feemingly proper to Man, in Hke Manner are infinite and eternal ; but Nothing of thefe is of Man, but of the Lord alone In him. Secondly : That Mmi is temporary in bimfelf^ and that the Lord in Himfelf is eternal ; and that therefore Nothing can proceed from Man but ivhat is temporary^ and Nothing from the Lord but zuhat is eternal. That Man in himfelf is temporary, and the Lord in Him- felf eternal, was faid above ; inafmuch as Nothing elfe can proceed from any one but what is in him, it follows, that from Man Nothing can proceed but what is temporary, and from the Lord Nothing but what is eternal ; for infinite cannot proceed from finite, and to fuppofe that it can is a Contradiction ; and yet infinite can proceed from fmite, yet not from finite itfelf, but from infinite through it ; fo on the other Hand, finite cannot proceed from in- finite, and to fuppofe this is alfo a Contradiction ; yet finite can be produced by infinite, but this is not to proceed but to be created ; on which Subject fee The Anoelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, from Beginning to End : Wherefore if finite proceeds from the Lord, as is the Cafe in many Things with Man, it doth not proceed from the Lord, but from Man ; and it may be faid to proceed from the Lord through Man, becaufe it fo appears. This may be illuftrated by thefe words of the Lord, *' Let your Communication be yea, yea ; nay, nay ; for whatfoevcr is more than thefe, cometh of Evil," Matt. V. 3; ; fuch is the Communicatior; of all in O Q the 298 Angelic Wisdom concerining the third Heaven ; for they never reafon concern- ing Things Divine, whether they be fo or not, but fee in themfelves from the Lord, that they are fo cr not fo ; Reafoning concerning Things Divine, whether they be fo or not, proceeds from the Rea- foner's not feeing them from the Lord, but de'firing to fee them from himfelf, and that Vvhich Man fceth from himfelf, is EviL But yet the Lord will- eth, not only that Man fhould think and fpeak of Things Divine, but alfo reafon concerning them, to the End that he may fee that they are fo or not fo ; and fuch Thought, Difcourle^ or Reafoning^ provided it hath for its End that he may fee the Truth, may be faid to be from the Lord in Man, but it is from Man, until he fees Truth, and ac- knowledges it : In the mean Time it is from tha Lord alone, that Man is capable of thinking, fpeaking, and reafoning : for this he can do by Virtue of his two Faculties, called Liberty and Ra- tionahty, which Faculties Man polfelTes from the Lord Alone. Thirdly : That temporary Things JeparatQ Things eternal from themfehes^ and thai- Things eternal join temporary Things to ihemfehes : By temporary Things feparating Things eternal from themfelves, is meant, that Man who is tem- porary doeth fo from the temporary Things in himfelf; and by Things eternal joining temporary Things to themfelves, is meant, that the Lord, who is eternal, doeth fo from the Things eternal in himfelf, as was faid above. In the preceding Pages it was fhewn, that there is a Conjundlion of the Lord with Man, and a reciprocal Conjundion of Man with the Lord j yet that the reciprocal Conjundion The Divine Providence. 299 Conjundion of Man with the Lord is not from Man, but from the Lord ; alio that the \ViIi of Man is in Oppofition to the Will of the Lord, or what amounts to the fame, that the Self-derived Prudence of Man is in Oppofition to the Divine Providence of the Lord ; from which this Conclu- fion refults as a Confequcnce, that Man, from his own temporary Things, feparates from himfelf the eternal Things of the Lord, but that the Lord join- -eth his eternal Things to the temporary Things of Man, that is, joineth Himfelf to Man and Man to Himfelf : As this Subjed hath been fully treated of before, there is no Need of adding to it further Confirmation. Fourthly : That the Lord joineth Man to Himfelf by Appearances : For it is an Ap- pearance that Man from himfelf loveih his Neigh- bour, doeth Good, and fpeaketh Truth ; if thefe Things were not to appear to a Man as from himfelf, he would not love his Neighbour, nor do Good, nor fpeak Truths therefore would not be Conjoined to the Lord : But forafmuch as Love, Good, and Truth are from the Lord, it is evident that the Lord joineth Man to himfelf by Appearances. But this Appearance, and the Conjunclion of the Lord with Man, and the reciprocal Conjunction of Man with the Lord thereby, are abundantly treated of above. Fifthly : That the Lord joineth Man to LVmifelf by Corrcfpondences : This is done by Means of the Word, whofe Hteral Senfe confifls of mere Corrcf- pondences ; that by that Senfe there is a Conjunc- tion of the Lord with Man, and a reciprocal Con- junction of Man with the Lord', is fliewn in The DOCTRJNE OF the NeW JiLRUSALEM CCNCERN- INO 300 Angelic Wisdom concerning^ ING THE Sacred Scripture, from Beginning to End. 2 20. IV. That the Conjundicn of Things temporary and eternal in Man is the Divine Providence of the Lord : As the Things herein implied cannot fall within the firll Perception of the Underftanding, except they be firfl reduced to Order, and unfold- ed and demonftrated according to it, therefore the Order thereof iliall be as follows, i. That it is by Virtue of the Divine Providence, that Man by peath puts off Things natural and temporary, and puts on Things fpiritual and eternal. 2. That the Lord by his Divine Providence joineth himfelf to Things natural by Things fpiritual, and to Things temporary by things eternal according to Ufes, 3. That the Lord joineth himfelf to Ufes by Cor^ refpondences, and fo by Appearances according to Confirmations by Man. 4. That fuch Conjundion of Things temporary and eternal is the Divine Prov^ idence. But thefe Points ihall be placed in a clear- er Light by Explanations. First : That it is by Virtue of the Divine Providence^ that Man by Death puts off Things natural and temporary^ and puts on Things fpiritual and eternal : Things natural and temporary are Extremes and Ultimates, into which Man firll enters, which is the Cafe w^hen he is born, to the End that he may afterwards be introduced to Things interior and fuperior ; for Extremes and Ultimates are Continents ; and thefe exift in the patural World : Hence it is that no Angel or Spirit was immediately created fuch, but that they were all firfl born Men, and fo introduced ; hence they have Extremes and Ultimates, which in themfelveg are The Divine Providence. 301 are fixed and flated, within which and by which their Interiors can be contained in their State of Connexion. But Man hrft puts on the grolTer Subflances oT Nature, his Body confiding of them j thefe however he putteth off by Death, and retain- eth the purer Subflances of Nature, which are next to what is fpiritual, and then thefe are his Conti- nents. Befides, in Extremes, or Uhimates, all Things interior or fuperior rciidc together at once, as was fhevvn before in its proper Place ; wherefore every Operation of the Lord is from Primaries and Uhimates at once, therefore in FulL But foraf- much as the Extremes and Ultimates of Nature cannot receive Things fpiritual and eternal, for Vhich the human Mind is formed, as they are in ihemfelves, and yet Man is born that he may be made fpiritual and live to Eternity, therefore Mari putteth them off, and retaineth only interior natural Things or Subflances, which are convenient and accord with Things fpiritual and celeflial, and ferve them as Continents ; this is effected by the Rejec- tion of temporary and natural Ultimates, which is the Death of the Body. Secondly : Tljat the Lord by bis Divine Providence joincth Hi?nfclf to Things natural by Things fpiritual^ and to Things tem- porary by Things eternal according to Ufes : Natural and temporary Things are not only Things which are proper to Nature, but alfo the Things which are proper to Men in the natural World ; both thefe Man putteth off by Death, and putteth on Things fpiritual and eternal correfponding to them ; that he putteth on thefe according to Ufes, is fully fhewn in the foregoing Pages. The natural Things which arc proper 302 Angelic Wisdom concerning proper to Nature, relate in general to Time and Space, and in particular to the Objeds which are feen upon Earth ; thele Man leaveth by Death, and in place of them receiveth Things fpiritual, which as to their outward Face or Appearance are hmilar, but not as to their internal Quality and ElTcnce 5 which Subjed alfo is treated of above. The tem^ porary Things, which are proper to Men in the natural World, in general relate to Dignities and Riches, and in particular to the Neceflitics of each Individual, which are Food, Cloathing, and a Place- to dwell in ; thefe alfo are put away and left by Death, and fuch Things put on and received, as are fnnilar to them as to their outward Face or Ap^ pearance, but not as to their internal QuaHty and EiTence : All thefe derive their internal Quality and Effence from the Ufes of Things temporary in the World : Ufes are the Goods which are called Goods of Charity. Hence it may appear, that to Things natural and temporary the Lord by his Di- vine Providence joineth Things fpiritual and eternal according to Ufes. Thirdly : That the Lordjoin^ etb himfclf to Ufes by Corvefpondcnces^ and fo by Ap^ pearances according to the Confirmations thereof by Man : As this Point cannot but feem obfcure to thofe who have not yet acquired a clear Notion of what Correfpondence and what Appearance is, therefore it Ihall be illuflrated by Example and fo explained : All Things in the Word are mere Cor-. refpondences of Things fpiritual and celeflial, and forafmuch as they are Correfpondences, they are alfo Appearances ; that is, all Things in the Word are Divine Goods cf the Divine Love, and Divinp Truths The Divine Providence. r^o^ Truths of the Divine Wlfdom, which are naked in thenifelves, but cloathed in the literal Senfe of the Word ; wherefore they appear lilce a Man in a Garment, which correfponds to the State of his Love and Wifdom 5 from which Confideration it IS evident that if a Man confirms Appearances, it is juft as if he were to confirm that Garments are Men ; hereby Appearances beqome Fallacies : It is otherwife if a Man fearches after Truths and fees them in Appearances. Now forafmuch as all UfeSj or Truths and Goods of Charity, which a Man do- eth to his Neighbour, he either doeth according to Appearances, or according to the Truths themfelves in the Word, if he eftablifhes the Conhrmation of them in himfelf according to Appearances, he is in Fallacies, but if according to Truths, he doeth as he ought to do : Hence it may appear, what is meant by the Lord's joining himfelf to Ufes by Cor- refpondences, and fo by Appearances, according to the Confirmations thereof by Man. Fourthly : That fiich ConjunSfion of Things temporary and eternal is the Divine Providence : That this may be prefent- ed to the Underllanding in fome Degree of Light, it may be expedient to illufirate it by two Exam- ples, by one which concerns Dignities and Hon- ours, and by another which concerns Riches and Poflellions ; both thefe in their external Form are natural and temporary, but in their internal Form fpiritual and eternal. Dignities with their Hon- ours are natural and temporary, when a Man per- fonally refpeds himfelf in them, and not the State and Ufes, for then a Man cannot but think interi- orly with himfelf, that die State v/as made for hirn, and 304 Angelic Wisdom concerning and not he for the State ; he is like a King who thinks his Kingdom and all the Men in it are for hirn, and not he for the Kingdom and the Men of which it confifts- But the fame Dignities with their Honours are fpiritual and eternal, when a Man re- fpe£ls himfelf perfonally as fubfervient to the State and to Ufes, and not them to him ; if he doeth this, then he is in the Truth and in the ElTence of his Dignity and Honour ; but if the other, then he is in Correfpondence and Appearance, which if he ccnhrms in himfelf, he is in Fallacies, and no other- wife in Conjunction with the Lord, than they who are in Falfes and Evils derived therefrom, for Falla- cies are Falfes with which Evils join themfelves : Such Perfons do indeed perform Ufes and do Good, but from themfelves and not from the Lord, there- fore they put themfelves in the Place of the Lord : It is the fame with Riches and PoiTefTions, which alfo are natural and temporary, as well as fpiritual and eternal ; Riches and PolfefTions are natural and temporary with thofe, who refped them alone, and themfelves in them, and in thefe two place all their Pleafure and Delight ; but the fame are fpiritual and eternal with thofe, who refped good Ufes in them, and in thefe an interior Pleafure and Delight ; with thefe latter the exterior Pleafure and Delight alfo is made fpiritual, and temporary eternal ; wherefore alfo thefe after Death dwell in Heaven, and in Pal- aces there, the Utenfils of which are refplendent with Gold and precious Stones j which neverthelefs they regard no otherwife than as Externals deriving their Splendour and Tranfparency from Internals, which are Ufes, from which tl>ey have effential Pleaf- ure The Divine Providence* 305 ure and Delight, which in themfelves are the Biifs and Happinefs of Heaven : A contrary Lot is theirs, who have refpecled Riches and PoiTefuons folely fot their own Sake and for the Sake of Self, therefore for the Sake of Externals and not at the lame Time of Internals^ confequently according to Appearances and not according to their Effences ; fuch Perfons, when they put off thefe Things, as is the Cafe wheri they die, put on the Internals thereof, which, inaf- inuch as they are not fpiritual, cannot be otherwife than infernal, for either the one or the other Princi- ple is in them, inafmuch as both cannot be there together, wherefore inflead of Riches they experi* ence Poverty, and indead of Pofleflions Mifery. By Ufes are meant not only the NecelTaries of Life, which relate to Food, Cloathing, an Habitation for a Man's Self and his Family, but alfo the Good of his Country, of Society, and of his Fellow Citizens, Such a Good is Commerce, when it is the final Love, and Money the Means fubfervient, if fo -be the Merchant Ihunneth and avoideth Frauds and evil Arts as Sins ; not fo when Money is the final Love, and Commerce the Means fubfervient to it, for this is Avarice, which is the Root of all Evils, as may be feen in Luke xii. 15, and the Parable concerning it^ Verfe 16 to 21. P p Trjat 3o6 Angelic Wisdom concerniko That Man is not let more interiorly into the Truths of Faith and the Goods of Charity y than Jo Jar as he can he kept in them to the End oj Lije. Ill, TT is well known in the Chrlftian Worlds 1 that the Lord willeth the Salvation of all, and alio that he is Omnipotent, wherefore many- conclude thence, that he is able to fave every one, and does fave thofe who implore his Mercy, efpe- cially thofe who implore it by the received Form of Faith, that God the Father would have Mercy for the Sake of his Son, particularly if at the fame Time they implore that they may receive that Faith : But that the Cafe is altogether different, will be feen in the lail Article of this Treatife, where it will be ex- plained how that the Lord cannot ad againft the Laws of his Divine Providence, becaufe to ad againft thofe Laws, would be to ad againft his Divine Love and his Divine Wifdom, confequently againft him- felf j in the fame Place it will be feen, that fuch immediate Mercy is not poftible, becaufe the Sal- vation of Man is effeded by Means, according to which no other Perfon can lead Man, but He who willeth the Salvation of all, and at the fame Time is Omnipotent, confequently the Lord* The Means by which Man is led of the Lord, are what are call- ed the Laws of the Divine Providence, among which is alfo this, that Man is not let more interiorly into the Truths of Wifdom and the Goods of Love, than fo far as he can be kept in them to the End of Life. But The Divine Providence. 307 But that this may be evident to Reafon, it fiiall be explained in the following Order: i. That Man may be let into the Wifdom of fpiritual Things, and alfo into the Love of them, and yet not be reform- ed. 2. That if Man afterwards recedes from them, and runs counter to them, he profaneth what is facred. 3. That there are feveral Kinds of Profa- nations, but that this Kind is the word of all. 4. That therefore the Lord doth not let Man more in- teriorly into the Truths of Wifdom, and at the fame Time into the Goods of Love, than.fo far as he caii be kept in them to the End of Life. 222. L That Man may be let into the Wifdom of fpiritual Things, and alfo into the Love of ihcm, and yet not be reformed : The Reafon is, becaufe Man hath Rationality and Liberty ; by Rationality he can be elevated into Wifdom almoft Angelic, and by Liberty into a Love not unlike Angelic Love ; but ftill fuch as the Love is, fuch is the Wifdom ; if the Love is celeftial and fpiritual, the Wifdom a|fo becometh celeflial and fpiritual ; but if the Love is diabolical and infernal, the Wifdoni alfo Is diabolical and infernal ; the latter indeed may then appear in its external Form, and confequently be- fore others, as celeflial and fpiritual, but in its in- ternal Form, which is its very EiTence, it is diaboli- cal and infernal, not outwardly but inwardly ; that it is fuch, doth not appear to Men, becaufe Men are natural, and fee and hear. naturally, and the exter- nal Form is natural ; but that it is fuch, doth ap- pear to the Angels, becaufe the Angels are fpiritual, and the internal Form is fpiritual. Hence it is evi- dent, that Man might be let into the Wifdom of fpiritual 5o8 AisiGELic Wisdom concerning fpiritual Things, and alfo into the Love of them^ and yet not be reformed, but in this Cafe only into the natural, and not the fpiritual Love of them ; the Reafon is, becaufe Man can let himfelf into nat- ural Love, but the Lord alone can let him into fpir ritual Love, and they who are let into the latter, are reformed, but they vi^ho are only let into the farmer, are not reformed ; for thefe laft are for the moft Part Hypocrites, and many of them of the Order of Jefujrs, who interiorly do not believe any Thing Divine, but exteriorly they play with Divine Things like thofe who exercife themfelves in Leger-? demain [HariclL'] 223. By much Experience in the fpiritual World it hath been given to know, that Man poflefles in himfelf the Faculty of und^rflanding the Arcana of Wifdom, like the Angels themfelves ; for 1 have feen fiery Devils, who, when they heard Arcana of Wifdom, not only underflood them, but alfo fpake them from their own Rationality ; but as foon as they returned to their diabolical Love, they did not tinderftand them, but initead of them Things con^ trary thereto, which were Infanities, and this they then called Wifdom : Yea, it hath been given to hear them, when they were in a State of Wifdom, laugh at their own Infanity, and when they were in a State of Infanity, laugh at Wifdom. A Man, who hath been fuch in this World, after Death when he becomes a Spirit, for the mod Part is let into alter- nate States of Wifdom and Infanity, that he may diilinguifh the one from the other : But although from Wifdom they fee their Infanity, yet when their ppticn is given them, as it is to every one, they put themfelves The Divine Providence, 309 themfelves into a State of Infanity, and love it, and then they hate a State of Wifdom : The Reafon is, becaufe their Internal was diabohcal, and their Ex- ternal like as it were Divine : Thefe are they who are meant by Devils, who pretend to be Angels of Light ; and by him, who at the Marriage had not on a Wedding Garment, and was call into outer Darknefs, Matth. xxii. 11, 12, 13. 224. Who cannot fee, that it is the Internal from which the External exifts, confequently that the External hath its EfTence from the Internal ? And who doth not know by Experience, that the ■External can appear otherwife than according to its Eflence from the Internal ? This is manrfeit in the Cafe of Hypocrites, Flatterers, and DilTemblers ; and that Man can alTume a Character not his own in Externals, is evident from Players and Mimics, for they can reprefent Kings, Emperors, yea An- gels, in their Tone of Voice, Speech, Face, and Gefture, as though they were really fuch -, when neverthelefs they are Nothing but Imitators ; thefe Obfervations are made, becaufe Man in like Man- ner can play the Sycophant, as well in Matters of a civil and moral as of a fpiritual Nature ; and more- over it is well known, that this is the Cafe with many. Therefore inafmuch as the Internal^ in its EfTence is infernal, and the External in its Form appears fpiritual, and yet the External derives its EiTence from the Internal, as was obferved, it may be afked where that EfTence lies concealed in the External ? It doth not appear in the Geflure, nei- ther in the Tone of Voice, nor in the Speech, nor in the Face, but yet it lies concealed interiorly in theiu 3IO Angelic Wisdom concerking them all four : That it lies interiorly concealed in their:, is evident from the Cafe of fuch Perfons in the fpiritual World ; for when Man cometh out of the natural World into the fpiritual World, whi(^ is the Cafe when he dies, then he leaveth his Ex-, ternals with his Body, and retains his Internals, which he had treafured up in his Spirit, and then, if his Internal was infernal, he appears a Devil, fuch as he had alfo been as to his Spirit, when he lived in the World. Who doth hot acknowledge^ that every Man leaveth Externals with his Body, and enters into Internals when he becometh a Spi- rit ? To this I may add, that in the fpiritual World there is a Conimunication of Affedions and of Thoughts derived from them, wherce it is that no one can fpeak otherwife than he thinks : Alfo, that every one there changeth his Face^ and becomes fimilar to his Affedion, fo that from his Face alfo it appears what he is : Hypocrites are fometimes per- mitted to fpeak otherwife than they think, but the Sound of their Voice is altogether difcordant to the Interiors of their Thoughts, and from that Difcord- ance they are difcovered : Hence it may appear, that the Internal lies concealed interiorly in the Tone, Speech, Face, and external G'ellure, and that this is not perceived by Men in the natural World, bu^ manifeflly by the Angels in the fpiritual World* 225. Hence then it is evident, that Man, fo long as he lives in the natural World, can be let into the Wifdom of fpiritual Things, and alfo into the Love of them ; and that this may and can be done, as ""'']] Vv'ith thofe who are merely natural, as with thofe u ho are fpiritual 3 but with this Difference, that The Divine Providence. 311 that the latter arc reformed by them, whereas the former are not : It may alfo Appear as if thefe (fuch as are merely natural) loved Wii'dom, but they love it no othervvife, than an Adulterer loveth a noble Courtezan, to whom he fpeaks flatteringly, and pre- fents rich Garments, of whom neverthelefs he thinks with himfelf at Home, that flie is Nothing but a vile. Whore, whom I will make believe that 1 love her, becauie flie favours my Lull ; but if fhe doth not fa- vour it, I will rejed her : His internal Man is this Adulterer, and his external Man is this Woman. 226. 11. That if Man afterwards recedes from them^ and runs counter to them^ he profaneth ivhat is holy. There are feveral Kinds of Profanation of what is Holy, of which in the following Article ; but this Kind is the mofl grievous of all, for they who are Profaners of this Kind, after Death be- come no longer Men ; they live indeed, but con- tinually in a phantaflical Delirium, and appear to themfelves to be flying on high, and when they are flill, they play with Phantafies, which are k^n. by them as Things real ; and forafmuch as they are uo longer Men, they are not called Pie and She, but It : Yea, when they are feen in the Light ef Heaven, they appear like Skeletons, fome like Skele- tons of a bony Colour, fome fiery^ and fome dry. That they who are guilty of this Kind of Profanation become fuch after Death, u not known in the World, and it is not known by Reason that the Caufe of it ^^ is not known ; the Caufe of it is, that when a Man firft acknowledges Divine Things, and believes them, and afterwards recedes and denies them, then he luixeth Things holy with profane j v;hich, when they 312 Angelic Wisdom concerning they are mixed, cannot otherwife be feparated, than by the DeftrucVion of the whole. But that this may be more clearly perceived, it fhall be explain- ed in the following Ordet* : i. That whatfoever a Man thinketh, fpeaketh, and doeth from his Will, is appropriated to him and remaineth, as well Good as Evil. 2. That the Lord by his Divine Provi- dence continually provideth and difpofeth, that E- vil may be by itfelf, and Good by itfelf, and fo that they may be feparated, 3. That this cannot be done^ if Man firll acknowledgeth the Truths of Faith, and Hveth according to them, and afterwards recedeth and denieth them. 4. That in this Cafe he mixeth Good and Evil in fuch a Manner that they cannot be feparated. 5. And forafmuch as Good and Evil with every Man are to be feparatedj^ and in fuch a one cannot be feparated, therefore he is deflroyed as to every Thing truly Human. 227. Thefe are the Caufes why a Thing fo enor- mous exifls, but forafmuch as thefe Caufes are in Obfcurity by Reafon of the Ignorance thereof, they Ihall be explained, in Order that they may be ev- ident to the Underftanding. First : That whaU foever a Man thinketh^ fpcaketh^ and doeth from his Will, is appropriated to him and remai7ieth^ as well Good as Evil : This was fhewn above, n. 78 to 81 : For Man hath an external or natural Memory, and an internal or fpiritual Memory ; in this laft Memo- ry are infcribed all and every Thing whatfoever that he had thought, fpoken, and done in the World from his Will, and that fo perfedly as to ev- ery Particular, that no one Thing is wanting ; this Memory is the Book of his Life, which after Death is opened, The Divine Providence. 313 bpened, and according to which he is judged. Concerning this Memory more is adduced in the Work on Heavkn and Hell, n. 461 10465, from my own Experience. Secondly: But that the Lord by his Divine Providence continually providetb and difpofeth^ that Evil may he by itfclf^ and Good by it^ felfj and Jo that they may he feparatcd : Every Man is as well in Evil as in Good, for he is in Evil ffoni himfelf, and in Good from the Lord, and Man can- not live unlefs he be in both, for if he were in him- felf alone, and fo in Evil alone, he would not have any Life, and if he were in the Lord alone, and fo in Good alone, neither would he have any Life, for Man in the latter Kind of Life would be as it were fuffocated continually gafping for Breath, or like one in the Agonies of Death; and in the former Kind cf Life he would be extind, for Evil without any Good in itfelf is dead, wherefore every Man is in both ; but the Difference is, that one is interiorly in the Lord, and exteriorly as if in himfelf, and anoth- er is interiorly in himfelf, but exteriorly as if in the Lord, and the latter is in Evil and the former in Good, yet each is in each ; the Reafon why this is alfo the Cafe with a wicked Man, is, becaufe he is in the Good of civil and moral Life, and alfo exte- riorly in fome Good of fpiritual Life ; befides that he is kept in Rationality and Liberty by the Lord, in Order that he may have the Power of being in Good ; this is the Good, by which every Man, even the Wicked, is led of the Lord, From thefe Con- fiderations it may be feen, that the Lord feparateth Evil and Good, that the one may be interior and the other exterior, and fo provideth that they be Q^CL not 314 Angelic Wisdom concerning not mixed. Thirdly : But thai. this cannot be done^ if Manfirjl ackno-xledgeth the Truths of Faith ^ and liveth according to theni^ and afterwards recedeth and clenkih them : This is evident from what hath noW been faid ; firfl, that every Thing which a Man- thinketh, fpeaketh^ and doech from the Willj. is ap-- propriated to him and remaineth ; and fecondly^y that the Lord by his Divine Providence continually^ provideth, and fo difpofeth Things, that Good may be by itfelf, and Evil by itfelf, and that they may be feparated ; moreover they are feparated by the Lord after Death 5 from thofe who are interiorly evil and exteriorly good, the good k taken away, and fo they are left in their Evil ; the Cafe is reverfed with thofe who are interiorly good, and exteriorly like other Men have acquired Wealth, fought after Dig- nities, been delighted with various worldly Things^ and have favoured fome Goiicupifeences ; in thefe neverthelefs Good and Evil are not mixed, but fepa- rate as internal and external ; thus in their external Form they have been in many Refpe6ls like the Wicked, but yet not in their internal Form : So on the other Hand the Wicked, who in their external Form have appeared like the Good, in Regard to piety, Divine Worlhip, Words and Adions, and yet in their internal Form have been Vv^icked,in thefe alfo the Evil i> feparated from the Good. But in thoie, who have iirft acknowledged the Truths of Faith, and lived according to them, and afterwards have run counter, and rejely. Therefore that this Arca- num of the Divine Providence may be unfolded in fuch a Manner, that the rational Man may fee it in its true Light, it (hall be elucidated in the following Series, i. Thatiu the Interiors of Man, Evil and Good ;^^2S Angelic Wisdom concerttino Good c-annor refide together, nor confequently th^^^ Falle cf Lvil and the True of Good at the fame Time, ^. That In the Interiors of Man Good and the True cf Good cannot be infufed by the Lord, except in Proportion as Evil and the Fahe of Evil is thence rciuoved. 3. If Good with its True were infufed there before, or in greater Proportion than as Evil vss removed together with its Falfe, Man would recede from Good aud return to his Evil. 4. That V hen Man is in Evil, many Truths may be infufed ino his Underftanding, and treafured up in his ]\lemory, and yet not be profaned, 5. But that • the Lord by his Divine Providence inoft particular- ly provideth, that they be not received thence by the Will, fooner or in greater Proportion, than as Man removeth Evils in the external Man, as if of lamfelf. 6. That if they were received fooner, or in greater Proportion, then the Will would adulte- rate the Good, and the Underftanding would falfify the True, by mixing thern with Evils and Falfes. 7. Th?t therefore the Lord doth not let Man more interiorly into the Truths of Faith and the Goods Oi Love, than fo far as Man can be kept in them to the End of Life. 233. In Order therefore that this Arcanum of the Divine Providence may be difclofed, in fuch a i^anner that the rational Man may fee it in his X^Ight, the Things which have been now adduced xhalJ be feveraliy explained. First : That in the hi* Uriors of Man^ Evii and Good cannot ref.de together at the fame Tinie^ covfeqiiently 7ieither can the Falfe of E- vil a7id the True of Good : By the Interiors of Man is meant the Internal of his Thought^ of which Man doth The Divine Providence. 329 doth not know any Thing, before he comes into the fpiritual World and its Light, which is the Cafe after Death ; in the natural World this can only be known from the Delight of his Love in the Exter- nal of his Thought, and from Evils themfelves, when he explores them in himfelf ; for, as was fhewn above, the Internal of Thought in Man coheres with the External of Thought in fo intimate a State of Connexion, that they cannot be feparated ; but of this more may be feen above. It is faid. Good and the True of Good, and Evil and the Falfe of Evil, inafmuch as Good cannot exift without its: True, nor Evil without its Falfe, becaufe they are connubial Partners or Conforts, for the Life of Good is from its True, and the Life of True from its Good ; it is the fame with Evil and its Falfe. That in the Interiors of Man Evil cannot exid with its Falfe, and 'at the fame Time Good with its True, may be feen by the rational Man without Explana- tion^ for Evil is oppofite to Good, and Good is op- J)ofite to Evil, and two Oppontes cannot refide to- gether : There is alfo in all Evil an inherent Hatred - againfl Good, and in all Good an inherent Love of defending itfelf againfl Evil, and removing the fame from it ; from which Confideration it follows, that the one cannot dwell with the other ; and if they tvere together, firfl a Conflid and Combat would arife, and Deftrudion would follow ; which alfo the Lord teacheth in thefe Words, " Every Kingdom divided againft itfelf is brought to Defolation ; and every City or Houfe divided againfl itfelf iliall not ftand. He that is not with Me is againfl Me, and he that gathereth not wuh Me fcattereth abroadj'* S s Matt, 330 Angelic Wisdom concerning Matt. xli. 25, 30 ; and in other Places. " No one can at the fame Time ferve two Mafters, for he will either hate the one or love the other," Matt. vi. 24^ Two Oppofites cannot exiil together in one Sub- ftance, or lorm, witnout its being diflraded and perifiiing ; in Cafe one were to advance and ap- proach the other, rhej would fep.arate themfelves altogether like two Enemies, one of which would retire within his Camp or Fortifications, and the oth- er would remain without t This is the Cafe with Evils and Goods in a Hypocrite; fuch a one is in botli ; but Evil is Vv?ithin and Good is without, and thus they arefeparate and not mixed. Secondly t Tbat Good and the True of Good cannot be infufed by ihe Lord into the hiteriors of Man^ hut in Froportionk as Evil and the Falfe ^f Evil is removed from thence : This is a neceiTary Confequence of what precedes j for fmce Evil and Good cannot be together. Good cannot be implanted before Evil is removed. It ia faid in the Inreriors of Man, by which is meant the Internal of Thought \ thefe Interiors are what are- here treated of, in which either the Lord muft dwell, or the Devil ; the Lord is there after Reformation^ and the Devil is there before it ; therefore in Pro^ portion as Man fuSers himfelf to be reformed, ia the fame Proportion the Devil is caft out^ but ia Proportion as he doth not fbffer himfelf to. be re- formed, in the fame Proportion the Devil remain- eth : Who cannot fee, that the Lord cannot enter^ fo long as the Devil is there, and he is there fo long as Man keepeth the Door fliut, which Man is in PofTeflion of together with the Lord ; that the Lord eatereth, when th^it Door is opened by Means of Man;, The Divine Providence. 331 Man, He HInifelf teacheth in the Revelation, " I ftand at the Door and knock ; if any Man hear my Voice and open tlie Door, I will come in to him, and will fup with him, and he with Me," iii. 20 ; the Door is opened by Man's removing Evil by fhun- ning and avoiding it as infernal and diabolical ; for whether it be called Evil, or the Devil, it is the fame Thing ; and on the other Hand, whether you fay Good, or the Lord, it is the fame Thing ; for in- wardly in all Good the Lord dwelleth., and in all Evil inwardly the Devil dwelleth. Hence the Truth of this Pofition is evident. Thirdly : If Good with its True were infufcdfooner^ or in greater Pro^. fortion^ than as Evil and its Falfe is removed^ Man, would recede from Good and return to his Evil : The Reafon is, becaufe lEvil would prevail, and that ivhich prevails, conquereth, '^ not at the Time, nev- ^rthelefs afterwards j while Evil continues to prevail. Good cannot be introduced into the inmofl Apart- jnents, (intiina Conclavia) but only into the outer Courts, by Reafon, as was faid, that Evil and Good cannot be together^ and that whicji is only in the x>uter Courts, is removed by its Enemy which is in the inner Apartments, whereby there is a ReceiTion from Good and a Return to Evil, which is the worft Kind of Profanation. Bcfides, the very" Delight of Man's Life is to love himfelf and thp World above all Things ; this Delight cannot be removed in a Moment, but muft be done fuccefTively ; but accord- ing to the Proportion of this Delight which remain- ethin Man, in the fame Proportion is the Prevalence of Evil ; and this Evil can no othcrwife be removed, |h?,n by making the Love of Self to become the Love pf 332 Angelic Wisdom concerning of Ufes, and admitting the Love of Rule, not fo^ the Sake of Self, but for the Sake of being ufeful, for fo Ufe$ conftitute the Head, and the Love of Self or the Love of Rule at firft conflitute the Body under that Head, .and afterwards the Feet upon which he walketh ': Who doth not fee that Good conflitutes the Head, and that when Good conili- tutes the Head, the Lord is there. Good and Ufe be- ing one ? Who doth not fee, that if Evil conflitutes the Head, the Devil is there, and fince neverthelefs civil and moral Good, and alfo fpiritual Good in its external Form, are to be received, that thefe then conflitute the Feet, ^nd the Soles of the Feet, and are trampled upon t Therefore inafmuch as the State of Man's Life is to be inverted, fo that what is ^bove may be placed below, and this Converfion cannot be effeded in a Moment, (for that fupremc Pelight of Life, which proceeds from the Love of Self and thence of Dominion, cannot be diminifhed except fucceflively, and fo changed into the Love of Ufes,) for this Reafon Good cannot be infufed or introduced by the Lord fooner, or in greater Quanr tity, than in Proportion as Evil is removed ; and if it were infiifed fopner, and in greater Quantity, Man would recede from Good and return to his Evil. Fourthly : Thai when Man is in Evil^ many truths may he introduced into his Under/landings and il:>efe Jlored up in the Memory ^ and yet not profaned : The Reafon is, becaufe the Underflanding doth not flow into the Will, but the Will into the Uhder- jtanding ; and fcrafmuch as the Underilanding, doth not jflow into the Will, many Truths may be received by it, and llored up in the Memory, and yet The Divine Providence. - 33J yet not mixed with the Evil of the Will, and fo what is holy is not profaned : Moreover it is incum- bent on every one to learn Truths from the Word, or from Preachings, to depofit them in the Memo- ry, and to think of them ; for the Underllanding, from the Truths which are in the Memory, and thence enter into the Thought, ought to teach the Will, that is, teach the Man, what he ought to do ; this therefore is a principal Means of Reformation : When Truths are only in the Underftanding and thence in the Memory, they are not in a Man, but without hirn. The Memory of Man may be corn- pared with the ruminatory Stomach of Animal$ which chew the Cud, in which they depofit their Food, which, fo long as it is there, is not in their Body, but out of it, but as foon as they bring it up thence, and after chewing, digeft it, it entereth into the Life and r^ourifheth the Body :* It is the Love of the Will which hath a Defire, and as it were an Appetite for Truths thus depofited, and caufeth them to be imbibed and converted to Nourifliment ; if that Love is evil, it hath a Defire and as it were an Appetite for unclean Things ; but if good, it hath a Defire, and as it were an Appetite for clean Things ; and the Things which do not accord there- with it feparates, putteth away, and calleth out, which is effe6led by various Means. Fifthly : But that the Lord by his Divine Fronyidcnce efpecially provldeth * fn Man's Memory, however, the Provl/Ion ftored up is nqt natural, jbut fpihtual, which is meant by 'I'ruths, and in itfclf coniills of Kno\vl- cdges ; and in Proportion as Man, by the Exercife of his thinking Prin- ciple, which is a Kind of Rumination (or chcM'ing the Cud,) brings it }ip thence, in the fame Proportion his fpiritual ^Xmd is nourilhcd. Tft, 554 Angelic Wisdom concerning p'ovideth that they be not received thence by the WilL fooner or in greater Proportion^ than as Man removetb Evil in the external Man as if of hinijelf ; for that which Cometh from the Will, entereth into the Man, and is appropriated to him, and becometh the Prin- ciple of his Life ; and in the Life itfelf, which Man hath from the Will, Evil and Good cannot be to- gether, for in fuch Cafe he would perifli ; but both may be in the Underllanding, which are there call- ed Falfes of Evil, or Truths of Good, yet not to° gether, for In fuch Cafe Man would not be able tcj know Evil from Good or Good from Evil ; but they are diflinguifhed and feparated there like a Houfe into interior and exterior {^Apartments y^ when a wicked Man thinketh and fpeaketh good Things, then he thinketh and fpeaketh exteriorly, but v.'hen he thinketh arid fpeaketh evil Things, then he tiiinketh and fpeaketh interiorly, wherefore wher^ he fpeaketh good Things, his Speech iifueth as it were from the Wall of the Houfe, and may be compared to Fruit which is fair on the Outfide, but worm-eaten and rotten within, and alfo to the out- fide Shell of a Dragon's Egg. Sixthly : That if ihey ivere received fooner and in greater Proportion^ then the Will would adulterate the Good, and the Uii- derfianding woidd falfify the True^ by ?nixing them with Evils and their confequent Falfes : When the Will is in Evil, then it adulterates Good in the Un- derllanding, and Good adulterated in the Under- ftanding is Evil in the Will, for it confirmeth the Perfuafion that Evil is Good, and vice vcrfa ; Evil doeth thus with all Good which is oppofite to it- felf 5 for Evil falfifieth the True, becaufe the True ^f The Divine Providence. ^35 df Good is oppofite to the Falfe of Evil ; ^this alfo the Will doeth in the Underftanding, and not the Underflanding from itfelf. Adulterations of Good are defcribed in the Word by Adulteries, and Fal- fifications of Truth by Whoredoms. Thefe Adul- terations and Falfifications are effected by Reafon- ings from the natural Man which is in Evil, and they are alfo effeded by Confirmations from the Ap- pearances of the literal Senfe of the Word. Self- Love, which is the Head of all Evils, is more in- genious than other Loves in adulterating Goods and falfifying Truths, and this it doeth by the Abufe of Rationality, which every^ Man hath from the Lord, as well the Wicked as the Good ; yea, it can by Confirmations caufe Evil to appear altogether as Good, and the Falfe as True : What can it not do, when it can confirm, by a thoufand Arguments, that Nature created herfeif, and that then fhe crea- ted Men, Beads, and Vegetables of all Kinds ? And further, that by Influx from her interior Self \^ex in- ieriorife\ flie caufeth Men to live, to think analyt- ically, and to underlland wifely ? The Reafon why Self-Love excels in the Art of confirming whatfoev- er it will, is, becaufe its ultimate Surface is conftitu- ted by a certain Splendor of Light variegated into divers Colours ; this Splendor is that Love's Glo- ry of acquiring Wifdom, and thereby alfo Eminence and Dominion. But when this Love hath confirm- ed fuch Tenets, then it becometh fo blind, that it doth not fee otherwife than that Man is a Beafl, and that they think alike, yea that if a Bead could fpeak alfo, it would be a Man in another Form : If it b$ led by any Perfuafion to believe, that any Thing y 336 Angelig Wisdom concerninc^ Thing of Man liveth after Death, then it 15 fo blinci^ that it thinketh Beafts do the fame, and that this Somewhat living after Death is only a fubdle Ex- halation of Life, like Vapour, which neverthelefs re- bpfes to its dead Body .; or that it is a vital Some- x^hat, without Sight^ Hearing, and Speech, confe- quently blind, deaf and diimb, hovering about and thinking ; not to mention other infane Ideas, which Nature herfelf, though in herfelf void of Life, in-» fpires into his Phantafy : Such is the EfFe6l of Self- Love, which viewed in itfcif is the Love of Man's Froprium, and the Proprium of Man^ with Refped to its Affe^SlionSj w^hich are all natural, is not un* like the Life of a Beaft, and with Refped to its Per- ceptions, becaufe they proceed from thofe Affec- tions, is not unlike an Owl : Wherefore he who continually immerfes his Thoughts in his Proprium, cannot be elevated out of natural Light into fpiritu- al Light, and fee any Thing of God, of Heaven, and of Life eternal. Forafmuch as this Love is of fuch a Nature, and yet excels in the Art of confirm* ing whatfoever it will, therefore with the fame Art it can alfo adulterate the good Things of the Word, and falfify its Truths, when it is conftrained through any Kind of Necefiity to confefs them. Seventh- ly : That therefore the Lord doth, not let Marl tiiori interiorly into the Truths of Wifdom^ and the Goods of Love^ thanfo far as Man can be kept i?i them to his Life's End : This the Lord doeth, left Man fliould fall into that moft j^rievous Kind of Profanation of Things Holy, which is treated of in this Article ; by R ealcn of this Danger, the Lord alfo permitteth Erili of Life, and many Herefies relating to Wor- Ihipi The Divine Providence, 337 (liip ; concerning the PermifTion of which the Read- er is referred to what is fhewn in the fubfequent Paragraphs. That the Laws of Permiffion aljo art Laws of the Divine Providence. 234. •TP'HERE are not any Laws of Permiflion JL by themfelves, or feparate from the Laws of the Divine Providence, but they are the fame, wherefore it is faid that God permitteth, whereby it is not meant that he willeth, but that he cannot pre- vent fuch a Thing, by Reafon of the End propofed, which is Salvation ; whatfoever is done to the End that Salvation may be effected, is according to the Laws of the Divine Providence ; for, as was obferv- cd before, the Divine Providence conftantly pro- teeds in a Manner different and contrary to the Will of Man, keeping this End continually in View, ivherefore in every Moment of its Operation, or in every Step of its ProgrefTion, when it perceiveth Man to deviate from this End, it diredeth, turneth, and difpofeth him, by withdrawing him from Evil, and leading him to Good ; that this cannot be done yithout the Permiffion of Evil, will be feen in what follows. Befides, Nothing can be permitted with- out a Reafon, and the Reafon exifts no where elfe, but in fome Law of the Divine Providence, which Law teacheth why fuch a Thing is permitted, T T 235. He 338^ Angelic Wisdom caNCERNiNo 22,S' He who doth not at all acknowledge the Divine Providence, doth not in his Heart acknowl-' edge God, but inftead of God he acknowledgeth Nature, and indead of the Divine Providence, hu- man Prudence ; that tliis is the Cafe, is not appar- ent, becaufe Man can think differently from differ- ent Grounds, [_potefi aliter cogitare et cogitare^ and can alfo fpeak differently from different Grounds^ for he can think and fpeak one Thing from his in- terior Self [_ex i7iteriorife^ and another Thing from his exterior Self [jib extericrife ;] it is like a Hinge by which a Door can be turned both Ways, one Way when a Perfon comes in, and another Way ■when he goes out y and like as a Sail can turn a Ship in different Diredions, according to the Man« ner in which it is expanded by the Mariner. They who have confirmed themfelves in Favour of hu- man Prudence, in fuch a Manner as to deny the Divine Providence, fuch Perfons, whatfoever they fee, hear, and read, whilfl they are under the Influ- ence of this their own Way of thinking, do not ob= ferve or attend to any Thing elfe, yea neither can they, becaufe they receive Nothing from Heaven^ but only from themfelves 3 and inafmuch as they form Conclufions from Appearances and Fallacies alone, and do not fee any Thing elfe, they can fwear that it is fo ; and if they alfo acknowledge Nature alone, they can be angry with the Defenders of the Divine Providence, provided they be not Priefts, of whom they think that they are led to fuch Defence in Compliance with their particular Tenets and Fundion- 235, We The Divine Providence. 335 i£3( \6. We fliall now proceed to enumerate fome ^particular Things which are by Permiflion, and yet according to the Laws of the Divine Providence, from which the merely natural Man confirms him- felf in Favour of Nature againft God, and in Favour of human Prudence againft the Divine Providence ; as when he readeth in the Word, that Adam, the -wifeft of Men, and his Wife, fufFered themfelves to t)e feduced by the Serpent, and that God did not avert this by his Divine Providenceo That their ^rft Son, Cain, flew his Brother Abel, and God did not then with-hold him by fpeaking to him, but x)nly denounced a Curfe againft him after the Ad. That the Ifraelitifti Nation worftiipped a golden Calf in the Wildernefs, and acknowledged it as the God which brought them out of the Land of Egypt, when neverthelefs Jehovah faw this not far off from Mount Sinai, and did not prevent it, Alfo that Da- vid numbered the People, and therefore a Peftilence was fent among them, whereby fo many Thoufands of Men periftied, and that God did not fend the Prophet Gad to him before, but after the A6:, to denounce Punifliment, That Solomon was permit- ted to eftablilli idolatrous Worftiip : And many Kings after him-to profane the Temple and holy Things of the Church : And laftly, that that Na- tion was permitted to crucify the Lord. In thcfe and many other Paflages in the Word, the Ac- knowledger of Nature and of human Prudence fees Nothing but what makes againft the Divine Provi- dence, wherefore he can ufe them as Arguments to deny it, if not in his exterior Thought which is near- ^ ' ^ft 340 Angelic Wisdom concerning eft to Speech, yet in his interior Thought which is remote from it. 237. Every Worfhipper of himfelf and of Nature confirms himfelf againft the Divine Providence, when he fees in the World fo many impious Per- fons^ and fo many "impieties committed by them, and at the fame Time that many glory in them, and yet they are not followed by any Punifhments from God. And ftill more doth he confirm himfelf againft the Divine Providence, when he fees that wicked Contrivances, Cunning, and Deceit fucceed, even againft the pious, the juft, and the fmcere : And that Injuftice triumphs over Juftice in Judg- ments and Negociations. And efpecially he con- firms himfelf, when he fees the Impious advanced to Honours, and made Nobles and Primates : More- over that they abound in Riches, and live elegantly and magnificently 5 and on the other Hand that the Worftiippers of God are in Contempt and Poverty. He likewife confirms himfelf againft the Divine Providence, when he thinks how Wars are permit- ted, and thereby fo many Men fiaughtered, and fo many Cities, Nations, and Families plundered ; and moreover, that Vidory inclines to the Side of Pru- dence, and not al\yays in Favour of Juftice ; and that it makes no Difference whether the General be a good or a wicked Man ; befides other fuch like Circum- flances ; which are all PermifTions according to the Laws of the Divine Providence. 238. The fame natural Man confirms himfelf againft the Divine Providence, when he takes a View of the Religious of various Nations, as tkac ^here are fome who know Nothing at all of God ^ The Divine Providence. 341 and that there are fome who worfhip the Sun and Moon; fome alfo who worfhip Idols and gravca images even of Monfters ; and likewife fome who worfliip dead Men. Moreover when he confiders the Mahometan Religion, that it is received by fo many Empires and Kingdoms ; and that the Chrif- tian Religion prevails only in the fmallefl Quarter of the habitable Globe, which is called Europe ; and that even there it is in a State of Divifion ; and that there are fome of its Profeflbrs, who claim to them- felves Divine Power, and defire to be worfhipped as Gods ; and invoke dead Men ; and alfo that there are fome who place Salvation in certain Words which they think and fpeak, and not in any Good they do ; moreover that there are few who live ac- cording to their own Religion ; befides taking into the Account the great Number of Herefies which have heretofore prevailed, and fome which exifl at this Day, fuch as thofe of the Quakers, Moravians, Anabaptifls, and others ; alfo that Judaifm ftill con- tinues. The Denier of the Divine Providence from thefe Things concludes, that Religion in itfelf is not any Thing, but yet that it is neceflary, becaufe it ierves to keep Mankind within Bounds. 239. To thefe Arguments more may at this Day be added, by which, they who think inwardly in Favour of Nature, and of human Prudence, may ftill more ftrongly confirm themfelves in their Sen- timents ; as that the whole Chriftian World hath acknowledged three Gods, not knowing that God is one in Perfon and in ElTence, and that that God is the Lord. Alfo that heretofore it was not known, jthat in all the Particulars of the Word there is a fpir- itual 342 Angelic Wisdom concerning itual Senfe, and that Its San£lity confills therein : And further that it was not known, that effential Chridian Rehgion confifts in fliunning Evils a§ Sins : As alfo, that hitherto it was not known, that Man liveth as a Man after Death ; for the Fa- vourers of Nature may fay with thenifelves and among each other, if thefe Things be true, why hath the Divine Providence never revealed them till now ? 240. All the particular Things which zre recited in the Numbers 237, 238, and 239, are adduced to the End that it may be feen, that all and fingular the Things w^hich occur in the World, as well to the Wicked as the Good, are of the Divine Provi- dence ; confequently that the Divine Providence operates in the mod minute Particulars of the Thoughts and Adions of Men, and that thereby it operates univerfally. But inafmuch as this cannot be feen therein, except each Particular be explained feparately, therefore they fhall briefly be explained^ in the Order in which they were adduced, begin- ning with n. 236. 241. I. T/jat Ada?n^ the wifejl of Men^ and his Wife^ fuffered ihemfekoes to be /educed by the Serpent^ and that God did not prevent this by his Divi?ie Prov^ idence : The Reafon is, becaufe by Adam and his Wife are not meant the firfl of all the Men that were created in this World, but the Men of the. mod ancient Church, whofe new Creation or Re^ generation is defcribed at the Beginning of Genefis ^ their new Creation or Regeneration itfelf is fignified by the Creation of Heaven and Earth in the firfl Chapter j their Wifdom and Intelligence by ths Garden The Divine Providence. 34;; Garden of Eden ; and the End of that Church by then* Eating of the Tree of Knowledge : For the Word internally is fpiritual, containing within its Bofom Arcana of Divine Wifdom, and in Order that thefe Arcana may be therein contained^ it is written by mere Correfpondences and Reprefenta- tions. From thefe Correfpondences and Reprefen- tations it is evident, that the Men of that Church, who in its Beginning were the mod wife, and in its End, by Reafon of the Pride of their Self-derived Intelligence, were the moft wicked, were not fedu- ced by any Serpent, but by Self-Love, which is there denoted by the Head of the Serpent, which is to be bruifed by the Seed of the Woman, that is, by the Lordo Who cannot fee from Reafon, that other Things are underftcod, different from what are here hiftorically recorded in the Letter ? For who c:kn comprehend, that the Creation of the World could have been fuch as it is there de- fcribed ? Wherefore alfo the Learned are much puz- zled to explain what is contained in the firft Chap- ter, and confefs after all, that they do not under- Hand it : Moreover it is faid, that in their Garden or Paradife there were placed two Trees, the one of Life, and the other of Knowledge, and thefe for a flumbling Block ; as alfo, that barely by eating of the latter, they linned fo greatly, that not only they, but alfo the whole human Race, their Pofter- ity, became obnoxious to Damnation ; likevvife that a Serpent was able to feduce them, befidcs other Circumftances, as that the Woman was created out of a Rib of the Man ; that they knew that they were naked after their Fall, and covered themfelves with 344 Angelic Wisdom concerning v/ith Fig Leaves, and that Coats of Skins were gir^ en them to clothe their Bodies; and Cherubim- were placed with a flaming Sword to keep the Way of the Tree of Life. All thefe Things are Repre- fentatives, by which are defcribed the Eftablifhment of the mofl ancient Church, its State of Perfedion^ its Decline, and laftly its Deftrodion r The con- cealed Meaning of all the Things contained in the fpiritual Senfe, which r'efides in every Particular of the Word, may be feen explained in The Arca- na CcELESTiA on the Books of Genefis and Exb^ dus, publifhed in London ; from which it may alfo appear, that by the Tfec of Life is there underftood the Lord with Refped to his Divine Providence^ and that by the Tree of Knowledge is underftood Man with Refpeft to his felf-derived Prudence. 242. n. That their Jirft'horn Son^ Cain^Jlew his Brother Abely and God did not prevent it by /peaking to him^ hut only curfed him after the A SI* Forafmuch as by Adam and his Wife is meant the mod ancient Church, as hath juft been obferved above, confe- quently by Cain and Abel^ their firfl Sons, are meant two EfTentials of the Chiirch, which are Love and Wifdom, or Charity and Faithy by Abel Love and Charity, and by Cain Wifdom or Faith, fpecifi- cally Wifdom feparate from Love^ or Faith feparate from Charity ; and Wifdom as alfo Faith feparate is of fuch a Nature, that it not only rejedeth Love and Charity, but alfo annihilates them, and fo flayeth itf^ Brother : That Faith feparate from Charity hath this EfFe6i:, is well enough known in the Chriflian World ; fee The Doctrine of the New Jeru- SAI.EM CONCERNING Faith. The Curfe of Cain involves The Divine ProvibencEo 345 involves the fpiritual State, into v.hich they come after Death, viho feparate Faith from Charity, or Wifdom from Love. But neverthelefs, that\vif- dom or Faith might not therefore perifh, a Mark was fet upon Cain, left he fhould be flain, for Love IS not given without Wifdom, nbr Charity without Faith. Inafmuch as by thefe Circumftances nearly the fame Things are reprefented, as by eating of the Tree of Knowledge, therefore they follow in Order after the Defcription of Adam and his Wife ; they alfo, who are in Faith feparate from Charity, are in felf-derived Intelligence, and they who are in Chari- ty, and thereby in Faith, are in Intelligence from the Lord, and fo in the Divine Providence. 243. III. That the Ifraeliiijh NatiomvorJIyjppcd a golden Calf in tJjv Wildernefs, and acknowledged it as the God, which drought them out of the Land of Egypt ; when neverthelefs Jehovah faw this from Mount\nai 7iot far of\ and did not prevent it : This was done in the Wildernefs of Sinai near the Mount : 1 hat Jehovah did not with-hold the Ifraelites from that wicked Idolatry, is according to all the Laws of the Divine Providence which have been before fet forth, and alfo according to thofe which follow. 1 his Evil was permitted them^ that they might not all perifh ; for the Children of Ifrael were brought but of Egypt, that they might reprefent the Lord's Church, and this they could not reprefent, unlefs the Egyptian Idolatry was firft rooted out of their Hearts ; which could not have been done, except they had been left of themfclves to ad according to that which was in their Hearts, and fo to have it removed by a grievous Punifhment. What is fur^ ^J u ther 346 Angelic Wisdom conc£ii"nikg ther f]gni£ed by that idolatrous.Worfhip, and by tSe Threat that they fhould be totally rejected, and that a new Nation fljould be railed up out of Mofes, may be feen in The Arcana Celestia, on the xxiid Chapter of Exodus, where this Subjetl is treated of. 244. IV. That David numbered the People^ and therefore a Fejiilenee was fent among them^ zcherebyfo many Thotifands of Men perifoed^ and that God did not fend the Prophet Gad to him before the A 61^ but after it^ to denounce Pmifhment : He who confirms him- felf againfl the Divine Providence, may alfo think and revolve in his Mind various Things on this Matter, particularly, why David was not forewarn- ed, and why the People' were fd grievoufly punifhed for the King^s TranfgrefTion, That David was net forewarned, is conformable to thg Laws of the Di- vine Providence fet forth above^ efpecially the vno which are explained, n. 129 to 153 ; and n. 154 to- j 74 : That the People w^ere fo grievoufly punifhsd' for the King's Tranigreflion, and feventy Thoufand of them cut off by the Peftilence, was not owing to the King, but to the People ; for it is written, *' Again the Anger of the Lord was kindled againfi IfraeU therefore he ?no'ved David agairifi them, faying^' go number Jfrael and Judah^^ 2 Sam. xxiv. i. 245. V. That Solomon was per?nitted to ejlablrfJj^ idolatrous WorfJjip : This was to the End, that he might reprefent the Lord's Kingdom or Ghurdh with all the Religions in the univerfal World, for the Church eitablifhed with the IfraeHtifh and Jew- iih Nations was a Reprefentative Church, wherefote all the Judgments and Statutes of that Qhurch rep- refented fpiritual Things of the Church, which arc Its The Divine Providence. 347 Its Internals, the People themfelves reprefented the -Church, the King reprefented the Lord, David the Lord who was about to come into the World, and Solomon the Lord after his Coming j and inafmuch as the Lord after the Glorification of his Humaa [Eflence] had Power over Heaven and Earth, as He Himfelf faith, Matt, xxviii. 18, therefore Solo.- mon his Reprefenter appeared in Glory and Mag- nificence, and was in Wifdom, above all the Kings of the Earth, and alfo built the Temple ; and more- over permitted and eftablifhed the religious Wor- ihip of many Nations, by which were reprefented the various rehgious Principles prevailing in the World ; the like is fignined by his Wives, which were feven Hundred in Number, and by his Con- cubines, which amounted to three Hundred, i Kings xu 3 ; for Wife in the Word fignifies a Church, and Concubine a r^^ligious Principle. Hence it may appear wh-y it was given Solomon to build the Tem^ pie, by which the Lord's Divine Humanity was rig- nified, John ii. 19, 21, and alfo the Church ; alfo why it was permitted him to eftablifh idolatrous Worfhip, and to have fo many Wives. That by David in many Pafiages in the Vv^ord is meant the Lord who was to come into the World, may be ieen In The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem coNr CERNING THE LoRD, H. 43, 44. 246. VL Thai ii was permilicd viany Kings after Solomon^ to profane the Ternple and holy Things of the Church : This was becaufe the People reprefented the Church, and their King the Head of them ; and forafmuch as the Ifraelitifli and Jewifli Nation were |ach, that they could not long reprefcnt the Church, for 34? Angelic Wisdom congernikq for they were Idolaters at Heart, therefore they re* ceded fucceflively from reprefentative Worlhip, by perverting all Things of the Church, infomuch that in the End they vaftated it ; this was reprefented by Profanations of the Temple by their Kings, and by their Idolatries ; the Vaftaticn of the Church it- felf by the Deilrudion of the Temple, and by the carrying away of the Ifraelitifh People, and the Captivity of the Jewifh People in Babylon. I'his was the Reafon or Caufe of the above PermifTion, and whatfoever is done from any Caufe, is done from the Divine Providence of the I.ord accord- ing to fome of its Laws. 247. VIL That that Nation was permitted to cru- cify the Lord : The Reafon of this was, becaufe the Church among that Nation was totally vaftated, and become fuch, that they not only did not know and acknowledge the Lord, but alfo hated him : Never- thelefs all that they did to Him, was according to the Laws of his Divine Providence. That the Paf- fion of the Crofs was the lad Temptation, or laft Combat, by which the Lord fully overcame the Hells, and fully glorified his Humanity, may be feen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem CONCERNING THE LoRD, H. 1 2 tO I4, and iu The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem con^ CERNiNG Faith, n. 34, ^^, 248. Thus far we have explained the Particulars a^^ove recited, n. 236, which are fome Paflages out of the Word, whereby the natural Man, who rea« fons ap^ainfl the Divine Providence, may confirm himfelf in fuch Reafoning ) for, as was before ob^ fervedj The Divine Providence. 343 ferved, whatfoever fuch a Man feeth, hearetb, and readeth, he can take up as an Argument againfl Providence : Few however confirm tbemfelves a- gainfl the Divine Providence from the 1 hings con- tained in tlie Word ; but many from the Things which are extant before their Eyes, as mentioned in ji. 237, which fliall now in like Manner be e:^- plained. 249. That every JVorpipper of hi wf elf and of Na- ture conjirmeth himjelf agahijl the Divine Providence^ when be feeth fo many impious Perfons in the World ; and fo ?7iany Impieties committed by them^ and at the fame Time that fome glory in thern^ and yet that they are not followed by any Puni foment from God, All Impieties, and all Glorying therein, are Permiflions, the Caufes of which are Laws of the Divine Provi- dence. Every Man may freely, yea mod freely, think whatfoever he will, as well againil God, as in Favour of God, and he who thinketh againd God, is rarely punilhed in the natural World, becaufe there he is always in a State of Reformation ; but he is punifhed in the fpiritual World after Death, for then he can no longer be reformed. That the Laws of the Divine Providence are the Caufe of PermifTions, is evident from the Laws thereof xct forth above, if they are reviewed and examined, which are thefe : That Man ought to a6l from Liberty according to Reafon, concerning which Law, fee n. 71 to 97 above. That Man ought not to be forced by external Means to think and will, and fo to believe and love the Things which are of Religion, but that Man ought to lead and fome- times to force himfelf to it, concerning which Law,^ fee 350 Angelic Wisdom coNCERmNc fee n. 129 to 174. That felf-derived Prudence ig Nothing, and only appears as if it was, and alfQ ought fo to appear, but that the Divine Providence from Things the mod particular is univerfal, n. 191 to 213. That the Divine Providence hath Refped to Things eternal, and no otherwife to temporary Things, than fo far as they make one with Things eternal, n. 214 to 220. That Man is not let more interiorly into the Truths of Faith and Goods of Charity, than fo far as he can be kept in them to his Life's End, concerning which Law, fee n. ^21 to 233. That the Caufes of Permiffions are Laws of the Divin-e Providence, Vv'ill alfo be evident from what follows ; as from this Confxderation, that Evils are permitted to the End that Salvation may be wrought. Alfo from this ; that the Divine Providence is continual, as well with the Wicked as the Good. And iaftly from this ; that the Lord cannot a£l again ft the Lav/s of his Divine Providence, becaufe to zS: againfl: them, would be to a£l againft his Divine Love and his Divine Wif- dom, confequently againfl Himfeif. Thefe Laws, if they be compared, may fliew the Reafons, why Impieties are permitted by the Lord, and not pun- ifhed when they exift only in Thought, and alfo rarely when they exift in Intention, and fo likewife in the Will, and not in Ad:. But yet every Evil is followed by its Punifhment, for it is as if Evil had its Punifhment infcribed upon it, which the impious Man fufTers after Death. By thefe Confid- erations here adduced, may alfo be explained the Ground and Reafon of the following Pofition flated in n. 237 j Tbat the Wcrpyipper of Self audi tU The Div^E Providencj:. 351 iJje lYorJhlpper of Nature confirms himfelf filll more agalnft the Divine Providence, "juhen he fees -that evrl Contrivances, Cunning, and Deceit fuccced, even agairfi the Pioiis^ the ^ujt, and the Sincere ; and that In* jufiice triumphs over Jufiice in Judgments and Ne- gociations. All the Laws of the Divine Providence are NecefTities ; and forafinuch as Neceflities are the Caufes why the above evil Things are permit- ted, it is evident that, to the End that Man may live as Man, the Liberty of doing fuch Things carv- not be taken away from him by the Lord, except mediately by the Word, and efpecially by the Pre- cepts of the Decalogue, with thofe who acknowl- edge all Kinds of Murders, Adulteries, Thefts, and falfe Teftimony to be Sins :• But with thofe who do not acknowledge fuch Things to be Sins, the fame is effeded mediately by civil Law?, and the Fear of Puniflrment thence incurred ; alfo medi- ately by moral Laws, and Fear of the Lofs of Charader, Honour, and Intered : By thefe Means the Lord leadeth the Wicked, yet only from doing- fuch Things, and not from thinking and wilHng them : Whereas by the former Means the Lord kadeth the Good, not only from doing Evils, but alfo from thinking them" and willing them,' 250. IL That the VVorfhipper ofSefand the Wor^ fijipper of Nature corifirmeth himfelf againft the Divine Providence, when he feet h the Impious promoted to Hon- ours, and made Nobles and Primates ; moreover that they abound in Wealth, arid live elegantly and magniji- cently, and the Worjhippers of God in Contempt and Pov- erty : The Worfhipper of Self and the Worfhipper of Nature thinks Dignities and Riches the fupreme and /I 52 Angelic Wisdom concerkinc^ and fole Felicities which can be given, confe- quently the real and elTential Felicities ; and if, m Confequence of having been initiated in Divine Worlhip in his Infancy, he thinketh any Thing of God, he calleth them Divine Blefnngs ; and fo long as from thefe Bleilings he doth not afpire to any Thing higher, he thinks that there is a God, and tvoriliips him; but in this Worftiip there Hes hid a Motive, which he himfelf doth not then know, that he may be promoted by God to ftill higher Digni- ties and more abundant Wealth, and if he attains thereto, his Worfhip declines more and more to Exteriors, till it comes to Nothing, and at length he inaketh no Account of God, and denieth him : The EfFed is the fame, if he be call down from the Dig- nity and Opulence in which he placed his Hearts What then are Dignities and Riches but flumbling Blocks to the Wicked ? Not fo to the Good, be- caufe they do not place their Hearts therein, but in the Ufes or Goods, for the doing of which Digni- ties and Riches ferve as Means : Wherefore from the Promotion of the Irftpious to Dignities and Riches, and their being made Nobles and Primates^ no one can confirm himfelf againft the Divine Prov- idence, but a Worfhipper of Self and of Nature^ Befides, what is greater or leifer Dignity, and great- er or leffer Opulence ? Is it any Thing in itfelf but Somewhat imaginary ? Is one more profperous and happy than the other ? Is the Dignity of a Noble,- yea of a King or an Emperor, after a Year's Du- ration, confidered any otherwife than as Something common, v/hich no longer maketh his heart to dilate with Joy, and may even become vile in his Sight ? The Divine Providence. 353 Sight ? Are Men, by Virtue of their Dignity, in any greater Degree of Happinefs, than thofe who are in lefs Dignity, yea, than thofe who are in the lead of all, fuch as Hufbandmen and alfo their Servants ? May not thefe latter be in a greater Degree of Hap- pinefs. when it goes well with them, and they are contented with their Lot ? Whq is more redlefs at Heart, more frequently fretted, or more grievoufiy enraged, than a Lover of himfelf? This is the Cafe as often as he is not honoured according to the Pride of his Heart, or when any Thing doth hot fucceed according to his Wifli and Pleaiure r What then is Dignity, if it be not to fome Ufe and Purpofe, but an Idea ? Can fuch an Idea exi(t in. any other Thought, than in Thought about Self and the World ? and is it any Thing in itfelf but an Idea, that the World is every Thing and Eter« nity Nothing ? We (hall here add a few Obferva- tions concerning the Reafony why the Divine providence permits the V/icked at Heart to be promoted to Dignities, and to a:cquire Wealth : The Impious, or Wicked, can equally as well per- form Ufes as the Pious or Good, yea, v^ith greater Ardour, for they confider themfelves in Ufes, and Honours they confider as Ufes 5 v;herefore in Pro-i portion to the Prevalence of Self-Love, is kindled the Lud of doing Ufes with a View to their owa 6lory : Such Fire doth not operate with the Pioos^ or Good, unlefs it be kindled from below by the Confideration of Honour j for which Reafon the Lord ruieth the Impious at Heart, who are 'm Dignities, by the Love of Fame, and thereby ex- cites them to perform Ufes to the Community or W vr their :>-!> 354 Angelic Wisdom concerkincj^ their Country, to the Society or City in which the/ dwell, and alfo to their Neighbour or Fellow-Citi-- zen :' For the Lord's Kingdom is a Kingdom of Ufes, and where there arc only a few who perform: Ufes for the Sake of being ufeful, he caufeth the Worfhippers of Self to be advanced to Offices of Preeminence, in which they are all excited by Self-Love to do Good. Suppofe there were any infernal Kingdom in this "World, (although there! is not any fuch) in which the Love of Self only* prevailed, Self-Love being the Devil himfelf, would not every Member of it perform Ufes- fvoni the Fire of Self-Love, and the Splendor of his owa- Glory, more than in any other Kingdom ? Never-- thelefs all fuch have Nothing in their Mouths but the public Good, yet in their Hearts Nothing but their own Good ; and forafmuch as every one iii fuch Cafe looks up to his Prince that he may ba made greater, for he afpires to be greateft, cari fuch a one fee that there^ is a God, whilll: he i^ encompafied by the Smoke as it were of a Confla- gration, which no fpiritual Truth in its Light can pervade ? I have feen that Smoke about the Helli of fuch. Seek every Method of Inform.ation, and inquire how many of thofe, who at this Day afpirs to Dignities in the Kingdoms of the Earth, are any other than Lovers of Self and of the World ; you will fcarce find fifty in a thoufand who are influ- enced by the Love of God, and among thefe only a few who afpire to Dignities ; feeing then they are fo few in Number who are influenced by the Love of God, and fo many are influenced by the Love of Self and of the World, and fmce the btter Love?,. from The Divine Providence. ^^^ &0111 the Nature of their Fires, are more produc- tive of Ufes, than the Love of God is, from its Fire, how can any one confirm himfelf againft Divine Providence, from this Circumdance of the Wicked being in greater Preeminence and Opu- lence than the Good ? This is alfo confirmed by thefe Words of the Lord, " And the Lord commend- ed the unjujl SteiJoard^ becaufe be had doie ivifely : For the Children of this World are in their Generation ivifer than the Children cf Light, And I fay unto you^ make to yourfches Friends of the Mammon of Unrighteoufnefs ; that 'when ye fail, they may receive you into evcrlafting Habitations^'* I^uke xvi. 8, 9 j 'W'hat is meant by thefe Words in the natural Senfe, is evident : But ia the fpiritual Senfe are meant the Knowledges cf Things good and true, ivhich the Wicked polTefs, and which they ufe fole- ly for the Purpofe of acquiring to themfelves Digni- ties and Riches ; it is thefe Knowledges, of which the Good, or the Children of Light, are to make to themfelves Friends, and which are to introduce them into everlafling Habitations. That there are many who love themfelves and the World, and few who love God, the Lord alfo teacheth in thefe Words, " Wide is the Gate, and broad is the Way, that lead- €th to DefiruHion, and many there be ivhich go in thereat : Butfirait is the Gate, and narrow is the Way^ ivhich leadeth unto Life, and few there be that find it,'* Matt. vii. 13, 14. That Dignities and Riches are cither Curfes or Bleiungs, and with whom they are fuch, may be feen above, n. 217. 251. in. That the Worjhippcr cf Self, and the lYorJhippcr cf Nature, confirmeth himfelf againfl tloQ Dlvim 356 Angelic Wisdom conceirning Divine Providence, when be thi7iketh how Wars aret permitted^ and thereby fo many Men Jl aught e red, and their Po[feJJions plundered* It is not from the Divine providence, that Wars exiii:, becaufe they are con- ne6led with Murders, Depredations, Violences, Cru- elties, and other enormous Evils, which a'-e diamet- rically contrary to Chriilian Charity : Still however they cannot but be permitted, becaufe the Life's Love of Men, fince the lime of the mbft ancient People, who are meant by Adam and his Wife, of \\hom above, n. 241, became of fuch a Nature, that he defireth to have Dominion over others, and at length over all, and wifheth to poflefs worldly Wealth, and at length all the Wealth in the World ; thefe two Loves cannot be held in Bonds, fince it is according to the Divine Providence, that every one ihould be allowed to ad from Liberty accords ing to Reafon, concerning which, fee above, n. 71 to 97 ; and that without Fermiflions, Man cannot; be led by the Lord from Evils, confequently not reformed and faved, for if Evils were not permitted to break out, Man would not fee them, therefore neither would he acknowledge them, nor could he be induced to refift them : Hence it is that Evils cannot be retrained from appearing by any Regu« lation of the Divine Providence ; for in that Cafe, they would remain fliut in, and like the DIfeafe, \vhich is called a Cancer and a Mortification, would fpread, and confume every Thing vital in Man. For Man is by Birth like a little Hell, between •vi'hich and Heaven there is a perpetual Difagree- raent ; no Man can be drawn out of his Hell by the Lord, unlefs he fees that he is there, and wifh- eth The piviNE Providence. 357 eth to be delivered ; and this cannot be done witli^ put Permifiicns, the Caufcs of which are Laws of the Divine Providence, This is the Realbn wliy, there are Wars of greater or lefler Extent ; iefier Wars between the Pofllfibrs of Lands and Lord- fhips and their Neighbours, and greater Wars be- tween the Monarchs of Kingdoms and their Neigh- bours ; their being greater or lefler, makes no oth- er Difference than that the leiier are kept withia certain Bounds by the Laws of their particular Na- tion, and the greater by the Law of Nations ; and that the greater as well as the lellbr are delirous of going beyond their Laws, but that the kiler cannot, and the greater can, yet flill within the Lnnits of a certain Poffibility. That greater Wars, inafmuch as they are connected with olaughter, Depredations, Violence, and Cruelty, are not prevented by the Lord from being carried on by Kings and Generals, jieither in their Beginning, nor in their ProgrefTion, nor in their Conclufion, until the Power of one or the other is fo reduced, that they are in Danger of peflruction, is owing to feveral Caufes, which are hid in the Treafury of Divine Wifdom ; fome of thefe have been revealed to me ; among which is the following ; that all Wars, although they are of a civil Nature, are reprefentative of States of the Church in Heaven, and that they are Correfpcnd- ences : Such were all the Wars which are defcri* bed in the Word, and moreover fuch are all Wars at this Day : The Wars defcribed in the Word, are thofe which were carried on by the Children of If- pel with various Nations, as with the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Philiilines^ the Syri- ans, 358 Angelic Wisdom concerking ans, the Egyptians, the Chaidsans, the AlTyrians 5 and when the Children of Ifrael, who reprefcnted the Church, departed from their Precepts and Statr utes, and fell into the Evils, which were fignified by thofe Nations, (for each particular Nation, with which the Children of Ifrael waged War, fignihed fome particular Kind of Evil) then they v/ere pun- iflied by that Nation : For Example, when they pro- faned the holy Things of the Church by foul ldola« tries, they were punifhed by the AfTyrians and Chal- disans, becaufe by AiTyria and Chaldasa is fignified the Profanation of what is holy : What is fignified by the Wars with the Philldines, may be feen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem con? CERNiNG Faith, n. ^o to 54. Similar Things are reprefented by Wars at this Day, wherefoever they be ; for all the Things which are done in the natu- ral World, correfpond with fpiritual Things in the fpiritual World, and all fpiritual Things concern the Church. It is not known in this World, which are the Kingdoms in Chriflendom, that reprefent the Moabites and Ammonites, which the Syrians and Philiflines, and which the Chaldgeans and AlTy- rians, and the reft with whom the Children of Ifrael waged VsTars ; neverthelefs there are Kingdoms in Chriflendom which reprefent thefe People. But ■what the State and Quality of the Church upon Earth is, and what the Evils are, into which it lap=^ fes, and by Reafon of which it is punifhed with Wars, cannot at all be feen in the natural World, becaufe in that World Externals only appear, which do not conftitute the Church ; but it is feen in the fpiritual World, where Internals appear, which dg conftitute The Divine ProvidencjS, 3S^ ^bhflltute the Church ; and in the fpiritual World all are conjoined according to their various States : The Confiids of thefe in the l].)iriiual World corrcf- pond to Wars, which on both Sides are governed correfpondently by the Lord according to his Divine Providence. That Wars in this World are govern--' ed by the Divine Providence of the Lord, is ac- knowledged by the fpiritual Man, but not by the natural M-an, except when a Fail is appointed in Con- fequence of a Victory, and then he can give Thanks to God upon his Knees who hath given the Victory, and alfo offer up a fev/ Ejaculations before he goeth to Battle j but when he returns to himfclf, then he either afcribes the Vidlory to the Prudence of the General, or to fome Meafure or Incident in the Midft of the Battle, which they had not thought of,- and by which neverthelefs the Vidory was decided.- That the Divine Providence, which is called For-i tune, operates in the inoft minute Particulars even of trifling Things, may be feen above, n. 2 1 2 ; if you acknowledge the Divine Providence in fuch Things, much more will you acknowledge it in the Con^ cerns of War : Moreover SuccefTes and Advanta- ges, obtained in War, are commonly called the Fortune of War, and this is the Divine Providence, operating efpecially in the Councils and Defigns meditated by the General, although he at the Time^ and afterwards, may afcribe the whole to his own Prudence. This he may do if he will, for he is at full Liberty to think either in Favour of the Divine Providence, or againfl it, yea either in Favour of God or againll him, but yet let him know, that net itie fmallelt Particular of his Councils, or of the Ex- pedients- 360 Angelic Wisdom concerninc' pedients devifed by him, is from himfelf ; they all enter by Influx from Heaven, or from Hell, froiu" Hell by Permiliion, and from Heaven by the Divme ,. Providence. 252. IV. That the V/orJJfipper of Self and the Wor^ fhipper of Nature confnneih hlmfef againfi the Divine Providence^ ivhen he thinketh according to his Percep- tion j that Victories declare on the Side of Prudence^ and fome times not on the Side of fufiice : Moreover that it maketh no Difference^ whether the General be a good Man^ or a wicked Man. The Reaiori why it feems as if Viclory declated on the Side of Prudence, and fometimes not on the Side of Judice, is, becaufe Maa jiidgeth from Appearance, and iavoiireth one Party more than another, and that v/hich he favoureth he can confirm by Reafonings, neither knoweth he that the Juilice of the Caufe in Heaven is fpiritual, and m this World natural as was before obferved, and 'that they are joined by a Connexion of Things pad and to come, which are known only to the Lord. That it maketh no Difference whether the General be a good or a wicked Mail, is owing to' the fame Caufe, Vv^hich is affigned above, n. 250,' x''iz. that the Wicked perfornr Uies ais well as the Good, and indeed the Wicked^ from the Fire pe» culiar to themfelves, more ardently than the Good ^' efpecially in Wars, becaufe a wicked Man is more crafty and cunning in devifing deceitful Contrivan- ces, and from the Love of Glory receives Pieafure \\\ killing and plundering thofe whom he knoweth and declareth to be Enemies, which is not the Cafe with a good Man, who is only influenced by Pru- dence and Zeal in defending himfelf, and rarely by any The Divine Providence. 361 any Prudence or Zeal in invading others. The Cafe herein is the fame as with the Spirits of Hell, and the Angels of Heaven ; the Spirits of Hell affault, and the Angels of Heaven defend theinfelves. Hence this Conclufion may be deduced, that it is allovi^able for any one to defend his Country and Aflbciates againfl invading Enemies, even by Means of wicked Generals, but that it is not allowable to make themfelves Enemies without a Caufe : When Motives of Glory alone are the Caufe, it is in itfelf diabohcal, for this is of Self-Love. 253. Thus far have been explained the Things ad- duced above, n. 237, by which the merely natural Man confirmeth himfelf againft the Divine Provi- dence ; we fhall now proceed to explain the Cir- cumflances which are taken Notice of in the Num- ber following, 238, relating to the Religions of ma- ny Nations, which may alfo ferve the merely natur- al Man as Arguments againft t^ Divine Provi- dence ; for he faith in his Heart, how can fo many difcordant Religions exift throughout the World, and why doth not one true Religion prevail univerfally, if the Divine Providence hath for its End a Heaven out of the human Race, as is fhewn above, n. 27 to 45 ? But hear, I befeech you ; all who are born Men, in whatfoever Religion they may be principled, are capable of being faved, provided they acknowl- edge a God, and live according to the Command- ments of the Decalogue, which are, not to kill, not to commit Adultery, not to fteal, not to bear falfe Witnefs, by Reafon that to do fuch 1 hings is con- trary to Religion, therefore againft God : In fuch Perfons there is the Fear of God and Love of their X X Neighbour, 362 Angelic Wisdom coNCERNiNi^ Neighbour, the Fear of God, becaufe they thlnl:^,' that to do fuch Thmgs is to ad againd God, and a Love of their Neighbour, becaufe to kill, to com- 4nit Adultery, to Heal, to bear falfe Witnefs, and to covet their Neighbour's Hcufe and his Wife, is to a6l againfl thdr Neighbour ; thefe Perfons, inaf- much as they refped God in their Lives, and do no Evil to their Neighbour, are led of the Lord, and -they who are fo led, are alfo taught according to their Religion concerning God and their Neigh- bour j for they who fo live, love to be taught, but they who liv'e oiherwife, do not love to be taught ; and inafinuch as they love to be taught, after DeatH" alfo, when they become Spirits, they are in(tru6ted by the Angels, and willingly receive Truths, fuch' as are contained in the Word : On this Subject" Something maybefeenin The Doctrine of the New jEp.usALEi\r concerning the Sacred- Scripture, n*^i to 97 ; and 104 to 113. 254. L That the vierely natural Man confirmeth h wife If agai lift the Divine Providence^ luben be confuU ers the Religions of various Nations^ that there arefome *ivho are totally ignorant of a God. ^ andfome who adore the Sun and Moon ; andfome alfo who adore Idols and graven Images, They w^ho from thefe Gircumilan- ces deduce Arguments againfl xhe Divine Provi-^ dence, do not know the Arcana of Heaven,- whicb are innumerable, whereof fcarcely one cometh to' the Knowledge of Man ; for among thefe Arcana this is one, that Man is not taught immediately from Heaven, Let mediately, on which Subjedl fee n. 154 to 174 above ; and inafmuch as he is taught mediately, and the Gofpel eould not bv Emifrar:e3 be The Divine Providence. 36,5 he extended to all who inhabit the whole Earth, but yet fome Religion could be handed down by various Means even to the Gentiles, who are in the remote Cor- ners of the Earth, therefore this was efFc6led by the Divine Providence ; for no IMan hath any P<.elIgion from himfelf, but through fome other Perfon, who either knew himfelf from the Word or had learned by Tradition front others, that there is a God, that there is a Heaven and Hell, and a Life after Death, and that God is to be woifnipped in Order that Man may be happy. That Religion hath been tranfplanted over the whole Earth from the ancient Word, and afterwards from the Ifraelitiflr Word, may be feen in The Doctrine of the Nev/ Je- rusalem CONCERNING THE SaCRED ScRIPTURE, n. 1 01 to J03 ; and that without the Wo!d no one could have known any Thing of a God, of Heaven and Hell, or of a Life after Death, much lefs any Thing of the Lord, may be feen, n. 1 14 to 1 18 of the fame Traflt. When once a Religion is implant-- ed in any Nation, that Nation is led cf the Lord according to the Precepts and Tenets of their Re- ligion; and the Lord provideth that in every Religion there fliould be Precepts of fuch a Nature as there are in the Decalogue, as that God ought to be wor- ftipped, his Name not profaned, Feitivals to be obferved. Parents honoured, Murder not committed, neither Adultery, nor Theft, and falfe Teflimony not given ; the Nation which maketh thefe Precepts Divine, and liveth according to them from a Princi- ple of Religion, is faved, as was faid above, n. 253 : Moreover mcfl of the Nations, which are remote J'^om the.Chriflian World, confider thefe Lav^^s, not as 364 Angelic Wisdom conceiining as civil, but as Divine, and hold them facred : That Man is faved by a Life according to thefe Precepts, maybe feen in The Doctrine of the New Je- rusalem FROM THE Precepts of the Deca- logue, from Beginning to End. Among the Ar- cana of Heaven this alfo is one, that the Angelic Heaven is in the Sight of the Lord as one Man, whofe Soul and Life the Lord is, and that this Divine Man is in every Particular of his Form a Man, not only as to his external Members and Or- gans, but alfo as to his internal Members and Organs, which are many, and Hkewife as to the Skin, Mem«* branes, Cartilages, and Bones ; none of thefe Parts however in that Man are material, but they are all fpiritual ; and it is provided by the Lord, that they alfo to whom the Gofpel could not reach, but only fome Sort of Religion, may likewife have a Place in that Man, that is, in Heaven, by conftituting the Parts called the Skin, Membranes, Cartilages, and Bones ; and that they may live equally as well as others in heavenly Joy ; for it maketh no Difference, whether a Perfon be in fuch Joy as is experienced by the Angels of the highefl: Heaven, or in fuch Joy as is experienced by the Angels of the lowed Heav- en, inafmuch as every one, who is received into Heaven, entereth into the fupreme or full Joy of his Heart, and greater than that he cannot fupport, for thereby he would be fuffocated : The Cafe is comparatively as it is with an Hufbandman and a King ; the Huibandman may be in a State of the greateft Happinefs, when he goes clad in a new Suit of coarfe Worded Apparel, and fits down to a Table furniilied with plain and wholefome Food ; and The Divine Providence. ^6^ and fuch a Man would be diftrefTed at Heart, if he were to be cloathcdlike a King in Purple, Silk, Gold, and Silver, and a Table were fet out for him, with Delicacies of various Kinds, expcnfive and exquifite, and generous Wines ; from which Confideration it is evident, that the laft in Heaven, as well as the firft, have celeflial Felicity, each in his Degree ; and confequently they alfo enjoy fuch Felicity, who are without the Chriltian World, provided they fhun Evils as Sins againft God, becaufe they are contrary to Religion/ There are fome fevi^, who are totally ignorant with Refped to God ; but that thefe, if they have lived a moral Life, are inflructed after Death by Angels, and in their moral Life receive a fpiritual Principle, may be feen in the Doctrine of THE NEW Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture, n. ii6. The Cafe is the fame with thofe who worfhip the Sun and Moon, and think that God is therein ; they know no otherwife, wherefore it is not imputed to them as a Sin, for the Lord faith. If ye were blind^ that is, if ye did not know, ye would have no iS/;2, John ix. 41. But there are many, who worfhip Idols and Images, even in the Chriftian World ; this indeed is idolatrous, but not in all ; for there are fome, to whom Images ferve as Means of exciting them to think of God ; for by Virtue of Influx from Heaven, he who acknowledg- eth God, wilheth to fee him, and Perfons of this Defcription, forafmuch as they cannot elevate the Mind above Things fenfual, like thofe who are in- teriorly fpiritual, awaken in themfelves an Idea of him from a Statue or graven Image ; they who do this, and do not adore the Image itfclf as a God, if they ^66 Angelic Wisdom con.cernik^ they alfo live according to the Precepts of the Dec* alogue from a Principle of Religion, are faved. Hence it is evident, that forafinuch asthe Lord vWU eth the Salvation of all, he hath alfo provided that every one may have fome Place in Heaven, if fo be he liveth well. That Heaven before the Lord is as one Man, and that thence Heav.en correfponds to all and fmgular theThings appertaining to Man ; and that there are alfo foine who reprefent the Skin, the Membranes, Cartilages, and Bones, may be feen in the Work concerning Heaven and Hell, pub« lifhed in London 1758, n. 59 to 102 : Alfo in the Arcana Cceles tia, n. 5552 to ^k^6 j and likewife above, n. 201 to 204. 255. II. Tbat the inerely natural Man cofifirmeth hinifelf agamjl the Divine Providence^ when he confid" 'ers the Mahometan Religion^ how it is received by fi many E?iipires and Kingdoms : That this Religion is received by a greater Number of Kingdoms than the Chriflian Religion, may be Matter of Scandal to thofe, who think of the Divine Providence, and at the fame Time imagine, that no one can be faved^ except he be born a Chriflian, confequently in a Country where the Word is poiTeffed, by Means of which the Lord is known : But the Mahojnetan Religion is no Matter of Scandal to thofe, who be- lieve that all Things are of the Divine Providence ; thefe inquire wherein fuch Providence can be traced, and alfo find it out ; it may be traced in this Cir- cumflance, that the Mahometan Religion acknowU edgeth the Lord to be the Son of God, the wifefl of Men, and the greateft of Prophets, who came into the World to teach Men \ mofl Mahometans there- fore The Ci^ine pROvii)ENcE. 36/ fore confider the Lord as greater than Mahomet; For the better underftanding how this Religion' was raifed up by the Divine Providence of the Lord, for the Purpofe of deflroying the Idolatry of many Nations, we fhall Confider the Subject in an orderly Arrangement, beginning with fome Obfervations concerning the Origin of Idolatries. Previous to the Religion of Mahomet, the Worfhip of Idols wa3 Common over the who!e Earth : The Reafon was, becaufe the Churches, before the Lord's Coming, were all reprefentative Churches ; fuch alfo was the IfraelitiflV Church, their Tabernacle, the Garments of Aaron, their Sacrifices, all 1 hings appertaining to the Temple at Jerufalem, and alfo their Statutes/ were reprefentative ; and among the Ancients the Science of Correfpondences was underflood, whichf rs alfo the Science of Reprefentations, and the pe- culiar Science of thei? wife Mefiy culfivatecV particu-^' larly in Egypt, wheii'ce they h^d their Hieroglyph- ics : By Virtue of this Science, they krlew what was' iignified by all Kinds of Animals, alfo by Trees of alb Kinds, and moreover what was fignified by Moun- tains, Mills, Rivers, Fountains, as well as by the Sun, ]\!!bon, and' Star^' ; ztid wherea:s all their Di-' vine Worfhip was reprefentative, confiiting of mere Correfpondence'J, therefore they celebrated their re- ligious Rites: upon Mountains and Hill^, and alfo in' Groves and Gardens, and for the fame Reafon they confecrated Fountains, and turned their Faces to- wards the Eall in their Adorations of God, and more- over made to themfelves carved Images of Horfes,- Oxen, Calves, Lambs, yea of Birds, Fifhes, and Serpents, and placed them in their Houfes and oth- 368 Angelic Wisdom concerning er Places, in a certain Order, according to the fpirit- Ual 1 hings of the Church, to which they corref- ponded, or which they reprefented. They did the like in their Temples, that they might recal to their Memories the holy Things which they fignified. la Procefs of Time, when the Science of Correfpon- dences was loflj their Pofterlty began to worfhip the Images themfelves as facred, not knowing that their Anceftors faw Nothing facred in them, but that only according to Correfpondences they repre- fented and thereby fignified Things facred. Thence arofe th*e Idolatries, which filled the whole Earth, as well Afia and its circumjacent Iflands, as Africa and Europe. To the End that all thefe Idolatries might be extirpated, it was permitted by the Divine Providence of the Lord, that a new Religion fhould arife, accommodated to the Genius of the Eaftern Nations ; in which there fhould be Something out of both Teflaments of the Word, and which fhould teach that the Lord came into the World, and that He was the grand Prophet, \jnaxwius Propheta] the wifeft of all, and the Son of God : This was efFed- ed by Mahomet, from whom that Religion is called the Mahometan Religion. This Religion was raif- ed up by the Divine Providence of the Lord, and accommodated, as was obferved, to the Genius of the Eaftern Nations, to the End that it might de- flroy the Idolatries which at that Time fo generally prevailed, and give the Inhabitants of thofe Coun- tries fome Knowledge of the Lord, before they came into the fpiritual World ; which Religion would not have been received by fo many Kingdoms, nor have had Power to extirpate their Idolatries, if it had The Divine Providence. 369 had not been accommodated and adapted to the Ideas and Mode of Life prevailing amongfl: them all. The Reafon why they did not acknowledge the Lord as the God of Heaven and Earth, was becaufe the Eaftern Nations acknowledged a God the Crea- tor of the Univerfe, but could not comprehend that He Himfelf came into the World, and took upon Him the human Nature ; as neither do the Chrif- tians comprehend, who therefore in Thought fepa- rate his Divinity from his Humanity, and place his Divinity befide the Father in Heaven, and his Hu- manity they know not where. Hence it may be feen, that the Mahometan Religion alfo had its Or- igin in the Divine Providence of the Lord ; and that all they of that Religion, who acknowledge the Lord as the Son of God, and at the fame Time live according to the Precepts of the Decalogue, which they alfo are in PofTeflion of, by (hunning Evils as Sins, are received into that Heaven which is called the Mahometan Heaven : That Heaven alfo is divid- ed into three Heavens, a fupreme, a middle, and a lowed ; in the fupreme Heaven are thofe who ac- knowledge the Lord to be one with the Father, and confequently that he is the only God : In the fecond Heaven are thofe who renounce a Plurality of Wives, and live with one only ; and in the ulti- mate Heaven, are thofe who are initiated. More Information concerning this Religion may be had from The Continuation concerning the Last Judgment and the Spiritual World, n. 68 to 72, where the Mahometans and Mahomet are treated of. Y y 256. in. 370 Angelic Wisdom concerning 2^6, 111. Tbat the 7nerely natural Man confer meth himfdf againji the Div'uie Providence^ when he fees that the Chriftian Religion is received only in the /mall- ejl Smarter of the habitable Globe ^ ivhich is called Eu* rope^ and that there it is divided : The Realbn why the Chriftian Religion is eftabliikd only in the fmall- eft Quarter of the habitable Globe, called Europe, is, becaufe it was not fo well accommodatell to the Genius of the Eaftern Nations, as the Mahometan Religion, which is mixed, as was fhewn above, and a Religion is not received by thofe to whom it is not accommodated ; as for Example ; a Religion which forbids the having more than one Wife, is not re- ceived, but rejeded by thofe, w^ho for fome Ages back have been addicted to Polygamy j it is the fame with Refped to fome other Particulars infifted upon by the Chriftian Religion. Neither doth it fignify whether it be received by a greater or a fmaller Part of the World, provided there be a Peo- ple, who are in Polfeilion of the Word, for thence Light is neverthelefs received by thofe who are out of the Church, and have not the Word, as is fiiewn in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem CONCERNING THE SaCRED ScRIPTURE, n. I04 to 113 ; and what is wonderful, where the Word is read with Devotion, and the Lord is worftiipped out of the Word, there the Lord is, with Heaven ; the Reafon is, becaufe the Lord is the Word, and the Word is Divine Truth, which conftitutes Heav- en, wherefore the Lord faith, " Where tvco or three are gathered together in my Name^ there am I in the Midjlofthem^' Matt, xviii. 20; this may be effcd^ ed with the Word in many Parts of the habitable Globe The Divine Providence. 371 Globe by the Europeans, becaufe they have Com- munication with the wliole World, and they every where either read the Word or teach from it : This appears Hke a Fidion, but Hill it is true, 'i'hc Rea- son vvhv the Chriltian ReUgion is divided, is, becaule it is derived from the Word, and the Word is writ-* ten by mere Correfpondences, and Correfpondences are for- the mod Part Appearances of Truth, in which neverthelefs genuine Truths He concealed ; and forafmuch as the Dodrine of the Church is to be drawn from the literal Senfe of the Word, which is of fuch a Nature, there could not but exift in the Church Difputes, Controverfies, and Difientions, ef- pecially with Refpecl to the Meaning of the Word, but not v;ith Refped to the Word itfelf, and the Lord's Divinity itfelf; for it is every where acknowl- edged that the Word is holy, and that the Lord is Divine, and thcfe two are Effentials of the Church ; wherefore alfo they who deny the Lord's Divinity, as they do who are called Socinians, are excommu- nicated from the Church ; and they who deny the Sandity of the Word, are not reputed as Chriflians. To this I will add a memorable Circumftance rela- ting to the W^ord, from which it may be concluded, that the Word interiorly is Divine Truth itfelf, and intimately the Lord : When any Spirit opens the W^ord, and rubs his Face or his Clothes with it, then his Face or his Clothes, barely by being rubbed with it, fhine as bright as the Moon or as a Star, and this in the Sight of all whom he meets ; this is a Proof, that there is Nothing in the World more holy than the Word. That the Word is writ- ^n by mere Correfpondences, may be feen in The Doctrine 372 Angelic Wisdom concerning Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concern- ing THE Sacred Scripture, n. 5 to 26. That the Dodrine of the Church is to be deduced from the literal Seufe of the Word, and confirmed by it, in the fame, n. 50 to 61. That Herefies may b^ derived from the literal Senfe of the Word, but that .to confirm them is hurtful, n. 91 to 97. That the Church exifts from the Word, and that its (Quality is according to its Underftanding of the Word, n. 76 to 79. 257. IV. That the merely natural Man confirmeth. hinifelf againji the Divine Providetice^ becaufe in many^ Kingdo'tm^ where the Chriftian Religion is received^ there are fome who claim to thenifehes Divine Power ^ and defire to be .worjhippid as Gods ; aJid that they in- voke dead Men. They fay indeed that they have not arrogated to themfelves Divine Pov^^er, and that they do not defire to be worfhipped as Gods ; but yet they fay that they can open and fhut Heaven, and remit and retain Sins, and confequently fave and condemn Men, and this is the Prerogative of Divinity itfelf; for the Divine Providence hath ISFothing elfe for its End, but the Reformation and thereby the Salvation of Mankind ; this is its con* tinual Operation with every one 5 and Salvation cannot be effecled but by an Acknowledgment of the Lord's Divinity, and Confidence that it is wrought by Him, when Man liveth according to his Commandments : Who cannot fee, that this is the Babylon defcribed in the Revelation, and the Babel treated of in many Parts of the Prophets ; that this is alfo meant by Lucifer in Ifaiah, Chap. xiv. is evident from the 4th and 2 2d Verfes of that (Chapter, The Divine Providence, 2>7i Chapter, in which are the following Words, " Thou Jhalt declare this F arable concerning the King of Baby '■ lon^^ Verfe 4 ; afterwards, " / will cut off from Baby^ Ion the name and Remnant^*' Verfe 22d ; from which jt is evident, that Babylon is there fignified by Lu- cifer, of whom it is faid, ^' How art thou fallen from Heaven^ 0 Lucifer^ Son of the Morning: For thou bafifaid in thine Hearty I will afcend into Heaven^ / will exalt my Throne above the Stars of God ; / will fit alfo upon the Mount of the Congregation^ in the Sides of pjc North ; I will afcend above the Heights of the Cmds, I will be like the Mofi High,'' Verfe 12, 13, 14. That they invoke dead Men, and offer up Pray* ers to them for Succour, is well known : It is af- firmed that they invoke them, becaufe the Invocation of them is eflabliflied by a Papal Bull, confirming the Decree of the Council of Trent, in which it is openly faid that they are to be invoked ; yet who doth not know that God alone is to be invoked, and not any dead Man ? But it (hall now be fliewn why the Lord permitted fuch Things : That he permit- ted them for a certain End, which End is Salvation, cannot be denied ; for it is well known, that with-* out the Lord there is no Salvation, and inafmuch as this is the Cafe, there was a NecefFity that the Lord fhould be preached out of the Word, and thereby the Chriftian Church eftablifhed ; but this could not be effeded but by Leaders [^Antefgnani,'] who fhould do it with Zeal ; nor were there any others to be had, but fuch as were heated, as it were with Zeal, from the Fire of Self- Love ; this Fire firfl excited them to preach the Lord and teach the Word 3 from this their primitive State it is, that Lucfer 374 Angelic Wisdom concerning Lucifer is called the Son of the Mor?7ing^ Verfe 12. But as they cr.me to fee, that they fhould be able to have Dominion by M^^ans of the holy Things of the Word and of the Church, Self-Love, by which they were firft excited to preach the Lord, broke out from within, and at length exalted itfelf to fuch a Height, that they transferred all the Divine Pow- er of the Lord to thenifelves, not leaving him any. 1'his could not be prevented by the Divine Provi- dence of the Lord, for if it had been prevented, they would have proclaimed that the Lord was^-not God, and the Word not facred, and would- have turned Socinians or Arians, and fo would have de- ftroyed the whole Church ; which, whatfoever the Character of its Rulers may be, flill remains among the People who are under them ; for all they of that Religion, who alfo approach the Lord, and fhun Evils as Sins, are faved ; for which Reafon there are many celeflial Societies of them in the fpiritual World ; and it is alfo provided, that there fhould be among them a Nation which hath not fubmitted to the Yoke of fuch a Dominion, and which confiders the Word as facred, which is the noble French Nation. But what was the Confc- quence ? When Self-Love had exalted its Domin- ion even unto the Throne of the Lord, had re^ moved Him thence, and placed itfelf upon it, this Love, which is Lucifer, could not do otherwife than profane all Things appertaining to the Word and the Church ; and to prevent this, the Lord fo ordered it of his Divine Providence, that they fnould depart from the Worfliip of Him, and in- voke dead Men, pray to Images of fuch, kifs their The Divine Providence. 375 their Bones, prollrate themfelves at their Sepulchres, forbid the Word to be read, and place the Sanftity of Divine Worfnip in Mafles not under flood by [he Vulgar, and fell Salvation for Money ; inafmuch as if they had not done thefe Things, they Vvould have profaned the holy Things of the Word and of the Church 5 for, as was Hiewn in the preceding Para- graph, none can profane Things facred, but they who know fuch Things. Therefore that they might not profane the moll: holy Supper, it is of the Di- vine Providence of the Lord, that they fhould di- vide it, and give the Bread to the People, and drink the Wine themfelves ; for the Wine in the holy Supper fignifies holy Truth, and the Bread holy Good, but when they are divided, the Wine fig- nifies Truth profaned, and the Bread Good adulter- ated ; and it is provided moreover that they fhould make it corporeal and material, and account this- Doctrine to be a primary Tenet of Religion. He •who attends to thefe Particulars, and weighs theni in fome Illumination of Mind, may fee the wonder- ful Operation of the Divine Providence, in guarding the holy Things of the Church, and faving ail who are capable of being faved, and fnatching as it were out of the Fire thofe who will fuffer them- felves to be fnatched away. 258. V. That the merely natural Man conjirmetb hmfclf againjl the Divine Providence from this Cir^ eumjlance^ that among thofe who profcfs the Chriftian Religion^ there are fome loho place Salvation in certain Words which they are to think and fpcaky and not in any Good they arc to do : That Perfons of this De- fcription are fuch as make Salvation to confift in Faith 376 ANtJELic Wisdom concerning Faith alone, and not in a Life of Charity, confe- quently who feparate Faith from Charity, is fhewn in The Doctrine OF the New Jerusalem con- cerning Faith^ and alfo that they are meant in the Word by the Philiflnies, by the Dragon, and by the Goats. That fuch a Dodlrine is alfo permitted, is of the Divine Providence, in Order that the Lord's Divinity and the Sandity of the Word might not be profaned ; the Lord's Divinity is not profaned, when Salvation is placed in the uttering of thefe Words, *' That God the Father would have Mercy for the Sake of his Son, who fufFered on the Crofs, and made Satisfaction for us ;" for by ufmg this Form of Words, they do not approach the Lord's Divinity, but his Humanity, which they do not acknowledge to be Divine ; neither is the Word profaned, becaufe they do not attend to thofe Paflages where Mention is made of Love, and of Charity^ and of doing Good, and of Works ; all thefe they fay are con- tained in the Faith of the above Form of Words ; and they who confirm themfelves herein, fay to them- felves, the Law doth not condemn me, therefore nei- ther doth Evil, and Good doth not fave me, becaufe Good from myfelf is not Good ; wherefore they are like thofe who do not know any Truth out o£ the Word, and for that Reafon cannot profane it. But Faith in the above Form of Words is not con- firmed by any, except thofe who from Self-Love are in the Pride of Self-derived Intelligence, neither are they Chriftians in their Hearts, but only defire to feem fuch. 1 hat neverthelefs the Divine Provi- dence of the Lord continually Ojierates, that they may be faved, with whom Faith feparated from Charity The Divine PROViDjeNCE. 377 Charity is made the Ground of Religion, fhall now be (liewn : It is of tlie Divitia Providence of the Lord, that although this Faith is made the EfT^n- tial of Religion, ftill every one knoweth, that thi^ Faith does not fave, but a Life of Charity with which Faith acteth as one ; for in all the Churches where this Religion is received it is taught, that there is no Salvation.^ except a Man examine hiniw felf^ fee his Sins, acknowledge them, repent, defift from them, and enter upon a new Courfe of Life ; this is read with much Zeal before ihofe who ap- proach the holy Supper ; and it is added^ that un- lefs they do this, they mix Things holy andprofane^ and call: themfelves into eternal Damnation ; yea in England, that unlets they do this, the Devil vrAl en* ter into them as he did into Judas, and deftroy them both Soul and Body: Hence it is evident, that every one in the Churches, where Faith alone is received, is taught neverthelefs that Evils are to be fhunned as Sins. Moreover, every one who is born a Chriflian, knoweth alfo that Evils are to be fhunned as Sins, by Reafon that the Decalogue k put into the Hai;ids of every Boy and Girl, and h taught by Parents and Mailers ; likewife all the Subjects of a Kingdom^ particularly the common People, are examined by the Pried out of the Dec- alogue v/hich they have got by Heart, what they know of the Chriftian Religion, and are alfo admon- ifhed to do the Things that are contained therein ; at fuch Times, they are never told by any Piicfl that they are not utider the Yoke of that Law, nor that they cannot do the Things therein commanded, becaufe they cannot do any Good from themlt^lve::, Z z The 378 Angelic Wisdom concerning The Athanafian Creed is alfo received by the whob Chriflian World, and what is laid in the laR Part gfitis acknowledged, namely, that the Lord will come to judge both the Q^i.ick and the Dead, and then they who have done Good lliall eiuer into ever- lalling Life, and they who have done Evil into ever- lartingFire. In Sweden, where the Religion of Faith alone is received, it is alfo plainly taught that there is no Faith feparate from Chanty, or without good Works, and this in a certain Memorial annexed and inferted in all the Books of the PfalmSj which is en- titled Impediments or Stumbling Blocks to the Im« penitent, (Obotferdigas Foerhinder) in which there are thefe Words, " They who are rich in good Works fliew thereby that they are rich in Faith, becaufe when Faith is faving, it operateth by Charity ; for juflifying Faith never exifteth alone and feparate from good Works, as there is no good Tree without Fruit, no Sun without Light and Heat, and no Water without Moifture." Thefe few Cii cumftances are adduced that it may be known_, that although the Religion of Faith alone is receiv- ed, ftili the Goods of Charity, which are good Works, are every where taught, and that this is of the Divine Providence of the Lord, left the com- mon People ihouki thereby be feduced. I have heard Luther, with whom I have fomctimes con- verfed in the fpiritual World, curfe Soiifidianifm, and fay, that when he eftablifhed it, he was warned by an Angel of the Lord not to do it ^ but that he thought with himfelf, that if he did not reje^i^ Works, there w^ould be no feparation effedled from .the Roman Catholic Religion, for which Reafoa he The Divine Providence. 379 he confirmed that Faith contrary to the Warning he had received. 259. VI. That the merely natural Man conjirmcih himfclf aga'wjl the Divine Providence^ becaufc there have becn^ and Jlill are fo many Hcrcftcs in the Chrif- tian Worlds fitch as thofe of the .fakers ^ Moravians^ Anabaptijls^ and others ; for he can think with him- felf, if the Divine Providence, by Means of its Ope- ration in every Particular, were univerfal, and had in View the Salvation of all, it would have eflab- iifhed one true Religion throughout the World, and not have fuffered it to be divided, much lefs torn to Pieces by Herefies : But ufe your Reafon, and think with more Elevation of Mind, if you arc able, and then tell me, can a Man be faved unlefs he be firft reformed ? for he is born to ihe Love of Self and of the World, and forafmuch as thefe Loves do not contain in them any Love towards God, or any Love towards his Neighbour, except for the Sake of Self, he is alfo born into all Kinds of Evils : For, is there a fmgle Spark of Love or Mercy in thofe Loves ? Doth he make any Account of defrauding another, blafpheming him, hating him even to the Death, committing Adultery with his Wife, raging againft him when he is in a re- vengeful Humour ? inafmuch as the Thing nearell to his Heart is, that he may be fupreme over all, confequently he confiders others in Comparifon with himfelf as vile, and of no Edimation ; in Or- der that fuch a one may be faved, mud he not firft be drawn away from thefe Evils, and fo reformed ? That this cannot be efFeded but in Conformity to feveral Laws, which 2^re Laws of the Divine Provi. dence. 380 Angelic Wisdom goncerninq dence, is fully fliewn. above ; which Laws for the moll FziVt are unknown, and yet they are Laws of the Divine VVifdom, and at the fame Time of the Divine Love, againft which the Lord cannot act, for to ad againfl them, would be to deflroy Man, and not to fave him ; read over again the Laws which have been adduced, compare them, and you ^yill fee. Therefore fmce it is conformable to thofe Laws, that there fhould not be any immediate In- fiux from Heaven, but mediate through the Word, throu2:h Docurines and Preachings,; and fmce the Word, that it might be Divine, could not be writ- ten but by mere Correfpondences, it follows, that DilTenfions and Herefies are inevitable, and that the Permifhon of thefe is alfo according to the Laws of the Divine Providence ; efpecially, when the Church itfelf had afmmed for its Effentials fuch Things as belong to the Undcrftanding only, and fo to Doc- trine, and not to the Will, and fo to the Condud of Life ; and when the Things which have Relation, to Life are not made Effentials of the Church, then Man with Refpecl to his Under (landing is in mere Daiiaiefs, and gropes about like a bhnd Man, who is ever (lu"^bling, and falling into Ditches ; for the Will mud fee in the Underdanding, and not the Underilanding in the Will, or, what amounts to the fame, the Life and its I.ove mull lead the Un- derllanding to think, fpeak, and ad:, and not 'vice verfil ; for if the Cafe were reverfed, the Under^ {landing might from an evil, yea, a diabolical Love, catch at whatfoever impreffed the Senfes, and enjoin the Will to do it. Hence it may be feen, whence DiffenUons and Herefies exiil. But yet it is provided, that The Divine Providence. 381 that every one, in whatfoever Herefy he may be with Refpedi: to his Underftanding, may flill be re- formed and faved, provided he fliuns Evils as Sins, and doth not confirm heretical Falfes in himfelf ; for by (hunning Evils as Sins the Will is reformed, and by the Will the Underftanding, which then firft emerges out of Darknefs into Light. There are three Elfentials of the Church, an Acknowledgment of" the Lord's Divinity, an Acknowledgment of the Holnefs of the Word, and the Life which is called Charity ; conformable to his Life, that is, his Char- icy, every Man's Faith is ; from the Word he hath a Knowledge of v/hat his Life ought to be, and from the Lord he hath Reformation and Salvation. If thefe three had been held as Elfentials of the Church, intellectual Diflenfions would not have divided it, but would only have varied it, as the Light varieth Colours in beautiful Objects, and as various Jewels conftitute the beauty of a kingly Crown. 260. VIL That the merely natural Man confirmeih h'lmfclf againfi the Divine Providence ^ hecaufe yiidaifm Jiill continues ; that is, becaufe the Jews, after the Lapfe of fo many Ages, are not converted, although they live among Chrillians, and do not according to the Predi6lions in the Word confefs the Lord, and acknowledge him as the Mefliah, who, as they im- agine, is to lead them back into the Land of Canaan, but conftantly perfift in denying him, and yet it go- eth well with them : But they who think thus, and for that Reafon call in Queftion the Divine Provi- dence, do not know that by the Jews in the Word are meant all who are of the Church and acknowl- edge the Lord, and that by the Land of Canaan, into 382 Angelic Wisdom concerning into 'which it is faid they are to be introduced, is meant the Lord's Church : But the Reafon why they perfevere in denying the Lord, is, becauf^ they are of fuch a Difpofition, that if they were to re- ceive and acknowledge the Lord's Divinity, and the holy Things of his Church, they would profane them ; wherefore the Lord faith of them, " He hath blinded their Eyes, and hardened their Heart, that they Jhould not fee with their Eyes, 7ior underjiand with their Heart, and he converted, and I jhould heal them^^ John xii. 40. Matt. xiii. 14. Mark iv. 12. Luke viii. 10. Ifaiah vi. 9, 10 ; .it is faid, left they fhould be converted, and I fhould heal them, becaufe if they had been converted and healed, they would have been guilty of Profanation ; and it is a Law of the Divine Providence, as was (hewn above, n. 221 to 233, that no one is more interiorly let into the Truths of Faith and Goods of Charity by the Lord, than fo far as he can be kept in them to his Life's End, and in Cafe it were not fo, he woul4 profane Things holy. The Reafon why this Nation is preferved, and fcatteied over a great Part of the Earth, is for the Sake o£ the Word in its original Language, which they hold more facred than Chrif^ tians do, and in every Particular of the Word is the Divinity of the Lord, for it is Divine Truth united ta Divine Good, which proceedeth from the Lord, and thereby the Word is the Conjundion of the Lord with the Church, and the Prefence of HeaVen, as is (hewn in The Doctrine of the New Jeru- salem CONCERNING THE SaCRED ScRIPTURE, n. 62 to 69 ; and the Prefence of the Lord and of Heaven taketh Place wherefoever the Word is read with The Divine Providence. 3S3 With Devoilon : This is the End which the Divine Providence hath in View, in preferving and dilperl- ing them over a great Part of the World. What the Nriture of their Lot is after Death, may be feeu in The Continuation concerning the Last Judgment and the Spiritual World, n. 79 to 82. 261. Thefe then are the CIrcumftances adduced above, n. 238, by which the natural Man does, or may confirm himfelf againfl: the Divine Providence $ there follow fome others, mentioned above, n. 239^ which may alfo fervc the natural Man as Arguments againfl the Divine Providence, and may likewife occur to the Minds of others, and fuggell foma Doubts, which are : 262. L That a Doubt ?nay be inferred ctgainjl the Divine Providence, by Reafon that the whole Chrijllan World worjhippeth God under three Pcrfons^ which is, three Gods ; and that hitherto they did not know, that God is one in Perfon and in E[fence, in ^j<;hQm there is a Trinity, and that that God is ths Lord, The Reafoner concerning the Divine Providence may fay. Are not three Perfons three Gods, when each Perfon by himfelf is God ? Who can think otherwife, yea, who doth think otherwife I Athanafius himfelf could not think otherwife, wherefore in the Creed which hath its Name from him, he faith, " Although we are compelled by Chrif* tian Verity to acknowledge each Perfon by himfelf to be God and Lord ; yet are we forbidden by the Chriflian Faith to fay or name three Gods or three Lords ;** by which Words Nothing elfe can be underltood, than that we ought to acknowledge three Gods and Lords, 384 AnC^LIC WlSbOM CONCERNING Lords, but that we ought not to fay there ard three Gods and three Lords. Who can poffibly have a Perception of one God, iinleis he be alfo' one in Perlon ? If it be ^illeged, that fuch Percep- tion may be had, provided you think, that the three Perfons have one Elience, who from thence does or can perceive any Thing ehe, than that in this Caie they are unanimous, and confenting, and yet that they are thres Gods ? And if a Man el- evates his Thoughts, he faith with himfelf, how can the Divine EifencCj which is Infinite, be divided^, and how can it from Eternity beget another, and ftill produce a third, who proceedeth from both ? It may poiTibly be faid^ that this is to be believed,- and ought not to be thought of; but who doth net think of that which he is told he ought to be- lieve, otherwife how can there be any Acknowl- edgment which is the Effence of Faith ? Did not Socinianifm and Arianifm, which reign in the Hearts of more People than you imagine, take their Rife from thinking of God as of three Perfons ? A Belief in one God, and that that one God is the Lord, conftitutes the Church, for in Him there is a Divine Trinity ; that this is true, may be feeti in The Doctrine of the Ntw Jerusalem CONCERNING THE LoRD, from Beginning to End* But what is thought of the Lord zt this Day ? Is it not thought that he is God and Man, God from Jehovah his Fathef, by whom he wr-s conceived^ and Man from the Virgin Mary, of whom he was; born ? Who thinks, that God and Man in Him, or his Divinity and his Humanity, are one Perfon, and that they are one as the Soul and Body are one ? Doth * The Divine Providence. 385 Doth any one know this ? Afk the Dodors of the Church, and they will fay that they did not kfiow it, when nevcrthelefs it is the Dodrine of the Church received throughout the whole Chriftian World, which is as follows, *' Our Lord Jefus Chriji^ the Son of Gdd, is God and Man^ mid alt hough he is God and Man^ he is not two, but one Chri/i ; one by the taking of the Manhood into God., [_becaafe God took to Hlmfelf the Manhood or hiimari Nature'] one altogether^ by Unity of Perfon^for as the Soul and Body is one Man^fo God and Man is one Chrifc :'* This is taken from Athanafius's Cread : The Reafon why they did tlot know it, is, becaule when they read it, they did not think of the Lord as God, but only as a Man. If the fame be afked whether they know by whom he was conceived, whether by God the Father, or by his own Divinity^ they will anfwer that he was conceived by God the Father, for this is according to Scripture : Are not the Father and He then one^ as the Soul and Body are one ? Who tan think that he was conceived by two Divinities, and if by his own Divinity, that this was his Father ? If you afk them again, What is your Idea of the Lord's Divinity, and what of his Humanity ? they will fay that his Divinity is from the EfTence of the: Father, and his Humanity from the Eilence of thel Mother, and that his Divinity is with the Father : And if you then afk, where is his Humanity, they will make no Anfwer ; for they feparate in Idea his Divinity from his Humanity, and make his Divinity equal to the Divinity of the Fathef , and his Human- ity fimilar to that of another Man, and do not know that in fo doing they alfo feparate Soul and Body j A A a nor 386 Angelic Wisdom concernin a Man is born, and which he actually imbibes, is feparated from him, but that it is only removed, in fach a Manner that it doth not appear, hath been given me to know from Heaven ; before that, I was in the Belief which moil People entertain in this World, that Evils, when they are remitted, .are caft out, and that they are waflied off and wiped away, Hke Dirt from the Face by Water : But thi$ is not the Cafe with Evils or Sins 5 they all remain, and when they are remitted after Repentance, they are removed from the Middle to the Sides, and then that which is in the Middle, inafmuch as it is diredly under the Infpeftion^ appears as in th^ Light of Day, and that ivhich i§ at the Sides, ia the Shade, and Sometimes as it were in the Dark- jicfs of Night : And whereas Evils are not feparated, but only removed, that is., put away ta the Sides, ^nd Man may be transferred from the Middle tQ jthe Circumference, it may alfp come to pafs, that he may return to hjs Evils, which he thought re- jected : For Man is of fuch a Nature, that he can pafs from one Afte'5lIon to another, and fometimes to an oppofite one, and fo from one Middle, or f;entre5 [ab uno Medio'] to another, the Affection of #* 412 Angelic Wisdom concerkino of Man conftituting the Middle or Centre while he is in it, for he is then in the Delight and in the Light thereof. There are feme Men, who after Death are taken up by the Lord into Heaven, becaufe they had led a good Life, but ftiil carried with them a Behef, that they were cleanfed and pure from Sins, and therefore not in a State of Guilt ; thefe are at firfl cloathed in white Garments according to fuch Perfuafion, for white Garments fignify a State of Purification from Evils ; but afterwards they be- gin to think, as they did in the World, that they are waflied clean as it were from ail Evil, and therefore come to boall that they are no long- er Sinners like others, which Perfuafion is diffi- cult to be feparated from a certain Exultation of Mind, and fome Degree of Contempt for others when compared with themfelves ; therefore that this imaginary Belief may be removed, they are then remanded from Heaven, and let into their Evils which they had contracted in the World, and at the fame Time it is fhewn them, that they are in hereditary Evils, which they knew Nothing of before : And when they have thus been forced to acknowledge, that their Evils are not feparated from them, but only removed, and fo that of them- felves they are impure, yea Nothing but Evil, and that it is by the Lord that they are detained from Evils, and kept in Good, and that this appears to them as from themfelves, they are again taken up by the Lord into Heaven. Secondly : That it is an Error of the prefent Age^ that it is thought the State cf Ma)is Life ca?i be changed in a Mo7?ient, and that thus Man from being wicked can be made goodj corfcquently brought out of Hell^ and inflantly iranjlatcd The Divine Providence. 413 iranjlaied into Heaven, ami tins by the immediaie Mercy of the Lord : They are in this Error, who feparate Charity from Faith, and place Salvation in Faith alone, for they imagine that the bare think- ing and uttering of the Words adopted by that Faith, if it be done with Confidence and AlTurance, juftiiieth and faveth ; which Eil'ect is alio fuppofed by fome to be momentaneous, and if not before, yet at the lafl Hour of a Man's Life ; fuch Perfons cannot but think, that Man's State of Life can be changed in a Moment, and that he can be faved by immediate Mercy : But that the Mercy of the Lord is not immediate, and that Man from being wicked cannot be made good in a Moment, and led out of Hell and tranflated into Heaven, but by con- tinual Operations of the Divine Providence from his Infancy to the End of his Life, will be feen in the lafl Paragraph of this Treatife : We fliall here only obferve, that the Laws of the Divine Providence have all of them for their End the Reformation and thereby the Salvation of Man, confequently the Inverfion of his State, which by Birth is infernal, to its Oppofite, which is celefiial ; and this can only be effeded progreflively, as Man recedeth from Evil and the Delight thereof, and entereth into Good and its Delight. Thirdly : That they who are of this Opinion^ know not at all ivhai is Evil and what is Good: For they do not know, that Evil is the Delight of the Concupifcence of ading and thinking contrary to Divine Order, and that Good is the Delight of the AfFetlion of acting and think- ing according to Divine Order, and that there are Myriads of Concupifcences, which enter as Ingre- dients and compofe every Evil, and that there are Myriads 414 Angelic Wisdom concerninc Myriads of AfFedions, which in like Manner enter every Good as its Ingredients and compofe ir, and that thefe Myriads of Concupifcences and Af^ fedions exifl in fuch Order and Connexion in the Interiors of Man, that no one of them can ba changed, without changing the whole al: the fam^ Time. They who do not know this, may think or believe, that Evil, which appears to them as one, can eafily be removed, and that Good, which alfo appears as one, can be introduced in its Place, Thefe, inafmuch as they do not know what Evil is, and what Good, canilot but fuppofe that there h fuch a Thing as momentaneous Salvation and imr mediate Mercy ; but that thefe are not poflible, will be feen in the lail Paragraph of this Treatife. Fourthly ; That they who believe in momentaneous Salvation and immediate Mercy ^ do not know that th$ Affedions^ which are of the Will, are mere Changes and Variations of the State of the purely organic Siib/lances of the Mind ; and that the Thoughts, which are of the Vnderjlanding, are mere Changes and Variations of their Form ; and that the Memory is the permanent State of thofe Changes and Variations, Who doth not alfent, when it is affirmed, that Affections and Thoughts do not exifl: but in Subfl:ances and their Forms, which are the Subjefts thereof, and forat much as they exifl: in the Brain, which is full of Subfl:ances and Forms, they are called Forms purcy ly organic ? No one, who thinks rationally, can d.o - otherwife than laugh at the Phantafies of fome, ii^ fuppofing that Affedions and Thoughts do not exf ifl: in fubfl:antiate Subjeds ; but that they are Va? pours modified by Heat and Light, like Figures ap? pearing The Divine Providence. 415 pearmg in the Air or Ether, when neverthelefa Thought can no more exiil feparate from its iub- flantial Form, than Vifion can exiil without its Iub* flantial Form which is the Eye, Hearing without its fubftantial Form which is the Ear, or Tafle without its fubflftntial Form which is the Tongue ; infped the Brain, and you will fee innumerable Subftances and Fibres, and that every Part of it is organized ; what Need is there of any other than this ocular Proof ? But it may be afk-ed, what is Affection, and what is Thought, in their fubftantiate Subjects ? A fatisfac- tory Anfwer may be deduced from all and every Thing in the Body^ where there are many Vifcera, each fixed in its particular Situation, and which op« erate their Fundions by Changes and Variations of their State and Form ; that they are feverally em- ployed in their refpedive Operations, is well known, the Stomach in operating its Fundions, and fo the Intellines, the Kidneys, the Liver, Pancreas, and Spleen in theirs, and likewife the Heart and Lungs, each in its refpedive Office^ and all thefe Motions are operated only intrinfically or within themfelves, and to be moved intrinfically is to operate by Vari- ations of State and Form. Hence it may appear, that the Operations of the purely organic Subftan- ces of the Mind are of a fimilar Nature, only with this Difference, that the Operations of the organic Subftances of the Body are natural, and thofe of the organic Subftances of the Mind are fpiritual, and that both thefe a6l as one by Correfpondences. There can be no ocular Demonftration of the Changes and Variations of State and Form in the organic Subftances of the Mind, which are Afi'ec- tions. 4i6 Angelic Wisdom concerning tions, but yet they may be feen as it were in a Gliils, by the Changes and Variations of the State of the Lungs in fpeaking and fmging, there being a Correfpondence, inafmuch as the Sound of the Voice in Speaking, and Singing, and ahb the Artie-* ulations of Sound, which are the Words in Speech ^ul] the Modulations of the Voice in Singing, are effected by the Lungs, and Sound correfponds to Affedion, and Speech to Thought ; they are alfo produced thereby, and this is done by Changes and Variations of the State and Form of the organic Subftances of the Lungs, and from the Lungs by the Trachea or Wind-pipe in the Larynx and Glot- tis, and afterwards in the Tongue, and laftly in the Mouth and Lips ; the firil Changes and Variations of the State and Form of Sound are produced in the Lungs, the fecond in the Trachea and Larynx, the third in the Glottis by various Openings of its Ori- fice, the fourth in the Tongue by its various Appli- cations to the Palate and Teeth, the fifth in the Lips by difpofmg them in various Forms : Hence it mayi appear, that the mere Changes and Variations of the State of organic Forms, fucceflively continued,- produce Sounds and the Articulations thereof, which are Speech and Singing. Now forafmuch as Sound and Speech are produced from no other Source than from the Affedions and Thoughts of the Mind, for from the latter the former exift, and never without them, it is evident that the Affedion^ of the Will are Changes and Variations of the State of the purely organic Subftances of the Mind, and that the Thoughts of the Underflanding are Chang- es and Variations of the Form of thofe Subftances j iimilar The Divine Providence, 417 finiilar to what hath juft been inftanced in the Lungs. Forafmuch as AfFedions and Thoughts are mere Changes of the State of the Forms of the Mind, it follows, that the Memory is Nothing elfe but the permanent State thereof; for all Changes and Variations of State in organic Subflances are of fuch a Nature, that when once they become habitual, they are permanent ; thus the Lungs are habituated to produce various Sounds in the Trachea, and to vary them in the Glottis, to articulate them in the Tongue, and to modify them in the Mouth, and when thofe Organs are once habituated to them, they are in them, and can be reproduced. That thefe Changes and Variations are infinitely more perfedl in the Organs of the Mind, than in the Or- gans of the Body, is evident from what is faid ia the Treatife concerning The Divine Love and THE Divine Wisdom, n. iig t6 204, where it is fhewn, that all Perfedions increafe and afcend with Degrees, and according to them : On this Subject more may be feen below, n. 319. 280. To fuppofe that Sins, when they are remit- ted, are alfo removed, is hkewife an Error of this Age ; they are in this Error, who think that by the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper their Sins are remit- ted, although they have not removed them from themfelves by Repentance : They alio are in this Er- ror, who think to be faved by P'alth alone ; and thty who think to be faved by Difpenfations from the Pope ; all thefe believe in immediate Mercy and mo- mentaneous Salvation. But v/hen this Propofition is reverfed, then it becomes a Truth, namely, that when Sins are removed, they are alfo remitted j for Lie Repentance 4i8 Angelic Wisdom concerning Repentance rnufl precede RemilTion, and without Repentance there is no Remifiion ; wherefore the Lord commanded his Difciples to preach Repent- ance for the RemifTion of Sins, Luke xxiv. 27 : And John preached the Baptifm of Repentance for the RemilTion of Sins, Luke iii. 3. The Lord re- mitteth the Sins of all Men, he doth not accufe and impute, but yet he cannot take them away but ac- cording to the Laws of his Divine Providence ; for fmce he faid to Peter (who afked him how often he fliould forgive his Brother Vv^hen he finned againfl him, whether till feven Times) that he ought to for- give him not only feven Times, but feventy Times feven, Matt, xviii. 21, 22 ; what then will not the Lord do, w^ho is Mercy itfelf ? 281. IV. That thiis the PcrmiJJion of EtH is fcr a certain End, which End is Salvation, It is well known, that Man is in full Liberty to think and ■will, but not in full Liberty to fpeak and a£l what- foever he thinketh and willcth, for he may think as an Atheill, deny a God, and blafpheme the holy Things of the Word and of the Church, yea, he may will in Word and in Deed utterly to deftroy them. ; but this latter is prevented by civil, moral, and ecclefiafticai Laws, wherefore he inwardly cher- iflies thefe impious and wicked Suggeflions, by thinking and willing, or wifning, and aifo by intend- ing them, but not by doing them. A Man, who is not an Atheill, is alfo at full Liberty to think many Things which are of Evil, as Things fraudulent, laicivious, vindictive, and other Infanities, which he aifo does at Times. Who can believe, that unlefs Man had full Liberty, he not only could not be faved, The Divine Providence. 419 faved, but would even perifh totally ? Hear now the Cauie of this ; every Man from his Birth is in Evils of many Kinds ; thefe Evils are in his Will, and the Things which are in the Will are loved, for that which a Man willeth from his Interior, the fame he loveth, and that which he loveth, the fanie he willeth ; and the Love of the Will lioweth into the Underitanding, and there caufeth its Delight to be felt : Hence it comelh into the Thoughts, and alfo into the Intentions ; wherefore if it were not permitted Man to think according to the Love of his Will, which is hereditarily inherent in him, that Love would continue flmt up, and would never come to Sight ; and the Love of Evil, which doth not appear, is like an Enemy lying in wait, like cor- rupted Matter in an Ulcer, hke Poifon in the Blood, and like Rottennefs in the Breafr ; which, if they are kept inclofed, are the Caufes of Death. But when a Man is permitted to think the Evils of his Life's Love, even fo far as to intend them, they are cured by fpiritual Means, as Difeafes are by natural Means. What would be Man's State and Nature, if it were not permitted him to think according to the Delights of his Life's Love, fhall now be fliewn : He would no longer be Man, for he would lofe the two Faculties, which are call- ed Liberty and Rationality, in which Humanity it- felf confiRs ; the Delights of the above Evils would occupy the Interiors of his Mind in fach a Degree, that they would overcome all Reftraint, and open the Door, and then he couKl not help fpeaking and ading according to the Delights of thofe Evils, and tlius would be infant, and his Infanity would not only 420 Angelic Wisdom concerning only be known to hinifelf, but would alfo appear to the World, and at length he would not have the Senfe to cover his Nakednefs : But to prevent this being the Cafe, he is permitted indeed to think and to will his hereditary Evils, but not to fpeak and do them ; and in the mean Time he learns Things civil, moral, and fpiritual, which alfo enter into his Thoughts, and remove thefe Infanities, and thereby he is healed of the Lord, but yet no farther than to know how to keep the Door fliut, unlefs he alfo ac- knowledge a God, and implore his Affiftance, that he may be able to refift the above Evils : And fo far as he then refills, fo far he doth not admit them into his Intentions, and at length neither into his Thoughts. Since then Man is at Liberty to think as he pleafes, to the End that his Life's Love may come forth from its lurking Place into the Light of his Underflanding, and fmce otherwife he would not know any Thing of his own Evil, and confe- quently would not know how to e:5^pel it, it follows, that it would increafe in him in fuch a Meafure, that there would be no PofTibility of Amendment in him, and fcarcely in his Children, if he had any ; for the Evil of the Parent is tranfmitted to his OfF- fpring ; but the Lord maketh Provifion that this inay not be the Cafe. 282. The Lord could cure the Underdancling in every Man, and fo caufe him to think not Evil, but Good, and this by Means of various Fears, by Mira- cles, by fpeaking with the Dead, and by Vifions and Dreams ; but to cure the Under/landing only, is barely to cure Man outu^ardly ; for the Under- (tfinding with its Thought is the J^xternal of Life ia The Divine Providencs. 421 in Man, and the Will with its AiTeclIon is the In- ternal of his Life, wherefore the Cure of the Un- derftanding alone would be like a palliative Cure, whereby the interior Malignity is included, and prevented from making its Exit, fo that it con- fumes firfl the neighbouring Parts and afterwards the more remote, till the whole is mortified ; it Is the Will itfclf which is to be cured, not by Influx of the Underflanding into it, becaufe that never takes Place, but by Inftrudion and Exhortation from the Underflanding. If the Underftanding slone were cured, Man would become like a dead Body embalmed, or covered over with fragrant Aromatics and Rofes, which in a fliort Time would contract fuch a Stench from the Corpfe, that no Body could come near it ; fuch w^ould be the Cafe with celeftial Truths in the Underftanding, if the evil Love of the Will were obftru6led. 283. The Reafon why Man is permitted to think Evils, even fo far as to intend them, is, as was ob- ferved, that they may be removed by Confiderations of a civil, moral, and fpiritual Nature, as is the Cafe when he thinks, that they are contrary to Juftice and Equity, contrary to Honefty and Decency, and contrary to Goodnefs and Truth, therefore contrary to the Tranquillity, Pleafure, and Hap- pinefs of Life ; by thefe three Confiderations the Lord healeth the Love of Man's Will ; and indeed at firft by Fear, and afterwards by Love. Still however Evils are not feparated and caft out from Man, but only removed and put away to the Sides, and when they are there, then they do not appear ; for whatfoever is in the Middle, the fame is directly under 422 Angelic Wisdom concerning under Infpedlon, and is feen and perceived : But It is to be attended to, that although Good be in the Middle, yet Pvlan is not for that Reafon in Good, unlefs the Evils which are at the Sides, tend down- wards and outwards ; if they look upwards or in- wards, they are not removed, for they dill endeav- our to return to the Middle : They tend and look downwards or outwards, when Man fliuns his Evils as Sins, and Hill more fo, when he hath an Averfion to them, for then he condemns and devotes them to Keli, and caufeth them to look thitherward. 284, The Underflanding of Man is a Recipient as well of Good as of Evil, and as welf of Truth as of the Falfe, but not the Will of Man ; this lad Principle muil be either in Evil or in Good, it can- not be in both, for the Will is the Man himfelf, and therein is his Life'5 Love : But Good and Evil in the Underftanding are feparated,like Internal and Exter- nal 5 hence Pvlan may be interiorly in Evil, and exteri- orly in Good : Still however, when Man is reformed. Good and Evil are committed, and then there exifts a Confiid, or Combat, which, if it is grievous, is call- ed Temptation, but if it is not grievous, is like the Fermentation of Wine or Wort; in fuch Cafe if Good overcomes. Evil with its Falfe is removed to the Sides, comparatively as the Lees fall to the Bottom of a VelTel, and Good becometh Hke Wine after Fermen- tation generous and fine ; but if Evil overcomes, then Good with its Truth is removed to the Sides, and it becomes turbid and foul like unfermented Vi^ine. We ufe this Comparifon of Fermentation, becaufe Fermxent in the Word fignifies the Falfe of Evil, as in Hofea vii. 4. Luke xii. i ; and in other Places. That The Du^ine Providence. 423 That the Divine Providence is alike op^ erative with the Wicked, as with the Good. 285. TN every Man, whether he be good or evil, JL there are two Faculties, one of which con- flitutes the UndcrRanding and the other the AVili ; the Faculty which conflitutes the Underflanding^ connfts in his being able to underftand and think, and thence is called Rationality ; and the Faculty which conflitutes the Will, confifts in his being able freely to do fo, viz. to think, and thence alfo to fpeak and ad, provided it be not contrary to Reafon or Rationality ; for to acl freely, is to a£t as often as he willeth, and according as he willeth. Inafmuch as thefe two Faculties are perpetual, and continual from Primaries to Ultimates in all and every Particular, which a Man thinketh and doeth, and thefe are not in Man from himfelf, but are in him from the Lord, it follows, that the Lord's Pref- ence with and in thefe Faculties hath Place alfo in each Particular, yea in each mofl: minute Particular of the Underftanding and Thought, as well as of the Will and AfFedion of Man, and thence in the Txioll minute Particulars of his Speech and /Vdions ; remove thefe Faculties from any the fmalled Partic- ular, and you will not be able to think it or fpeak it as a Man. That Man is Man by Virtue cf thefe two Faculties, that he can hereby think and fpeak, perceive Goods and undN^inuind Truths, not only fuch 4H Angelic Wisdom concerking fuch as are civil and moral, but alfo fpiritual, and be rcfonned and regenerated, in a Word, that he can be joined unto the Lord, and thereby live eter- iially, was abundantly fliewn above ; and it was alfo fhewn, that rhefe two Faculties are poffefled not only by good Men, but alio by the Wicked. Now forafmuch as thefe Faculties in Man are from the Lord, and not appropriated to Man aS his own, fot the Divine (or that which is Divine) cannot be ap- propriated lo Man as his own, but can be adjoined to him, and thereby appear as his ; and forafmuch as that Divine [Properly] in Man exifls in the mofl minute particulars appertaining to him, it follows, that the Lord governs Things the mofl: particular, as well in a wicked as in a good Man ; and it is the Governmetit of the Lord which is called the Divine Providence. 286. Now iince It Is a Law oF the Divine Provi- dence, that Man fhould a6t freely according to Rea- fon, that is, from thefe two FacuUies, Liberty and Rationality ; and it is alfo a Law of the Divine Providence, that that which he doeth, fhould ap- pear to Man as from himfelf, and confequently as his own ; and it is moreover a Law, that Evils are to be permitted to the End that he may be led out of them., it follows, that Man may abufe thefe Fac- ulties, and from Liberty according to Reafon con- firm whatfoever he will, for he can make whatfoever he will a Perfuafion of his Reafon, whether it be reafonable In itfelf or not ; wherefore fome fay. What is Truth ? Cannot I make true whatfoever I Wl ? And doth not the World alfo do fo ? Yet he ^'ho can do this, docth it by Re?.fonings ; aflume c» Propcfitiou The Divine pRdviDENCE, 425 Propofitloti the mod falfe, and tell an ingenious Perlbn to confirm it, and he will do lb ; as for Ex- ample, tell him to prove that Man is a Bead ; or that the Soul is like a little Spider in its Web, und governs the Body as the Spider does by its Threads ; or that Religion is Nothing but a Bond of Conftraint to keep the Vulgar in Awe ; and he will prove any of thefe Propofuions, infomuch that it will appear true : And what is eafier ? for he doth hot know what an Appearance is, nor what a falfe Principle is, which from a blind Belief is aiiumed as a Truth : Hence it is, that Man cannot fee this Truth, that the Divine Providence ojxrates in the mod minute Particulars of the Underdanding and Will, or, what amounts to the fame Thing, in the inod minute Particulars of the Thoughts and Af- fections of every Man, as well the Wicked as the Good :. He confounds hinifelf principally by fuppo- fuig, that in this Cafe Evils alio would be from the Lord ; nevertheleft that not the lead Evil is from the Lord, but that it is from Man, by Means of hisr c6nfirming in himfelf the Appearance that he thinks, wills, fpeaks, and acts from himfelf, will be feen in U'hat now follows ; which, that it may be clearly underdood, Ihall be deinondiated in this Order, I. That the Divine Providence, not only with the Good, but alio with the Wicked, is univerfally in Things the mod particular ; and that dill it is not in their Evilsi 2. That the Wicked continually- lead themfelves into Evils, but that the Lord con- tinually withdrav.'eth them from Evils. 3. That the Wicked cannot be entirely led out of Kvilj and ^ led into Good, lb long as they think felf-derivcd t v f Intelligence 4^6 Angelic Wisdom concerning Intelligence Is all, and the Divine Providence Noth- ing. 4. That the Lord governs Hell by Oppofites, and that the Wicked who are in the World are governed by Him in Hell as to their Interiors, but not as to Exteriors. 287. I. Thai the Divine Providence^ 7iot only iviih ihe Good, but alfo with the Wicked^ is miiverfal in Things the vioft particular^ and that Jiill it is not in their Evils. It was Ihewn above, that the Divine Providence is (or operates) in all the lead Particu- lars of the Thoughts and Affe6lions of Men, by which it is meant, that Man can think and will Nothing from himfelf, but that all that he thinketh and willeth, and thence fpeaketh and docth, is by In- flux ; if it is Good, by Influx from Heaven, and if Evil, by Influx from Hell ; or, what amounts to the fame, that Good is by Influx from the Lord, and Evil from the Proprlum of Man. But I know that this is difficult to be comprehended, becaufe a Dillinclion is made between that which enters by Influx from Heaven, or from the Lord, and that which enters by Influx from Hell, or from the Pro- prium of Man j and yet it is faid that the Divine Providence is in all the lead Particulars of the Thoughts and Aiteclions of Man, infomuch that Man can think and will Nothing from himfelf j but becaufe it is faid, that he can alfo think and will from Hell, and from his Proprium, this appears like a Contradidion, neverthelefs it is not ; that it is not a Contradidion, will be fcen, after fome Things are J^remifed, which will illuiirate this Matter. 288. All the Angels of Heaven confefs, that no one can think from himfelf, but only from the Lord^ The Divine Providence. 427 Lord, but all the Spirits of Hell affirm that no one can think from any other than himfelf ; though fometimes it hath been fhewn the latter, that not cne of them thinks from himfelf, nor can do it, but that Thought is produced by Influx ; in vain how- ever was this (hewn them, for they would not receive it. But Experience fhall teach, firll, that the whole of Thought and AiFedion, even in the iafernal Spi- rits, flows from Fleaven, but that influent Good is there turned into Evil, and influent Truth into Falfehood,- and fo every Thing into its Oppofite j this was proved by the following Experiment ; there was let down out of Heaven a certain Truth from the Word, and the fame was received by thofe who were in the fuperior Hells, and fent down from them to the inferior Hells, and fo on to the loweft, and in its Paflfage, it was fuccefllvely turned into Falfehood, and at length into fuch Falfehood as was dire£lly cppofite to this Truth ; and they, among whom it was fo changed, thought what is falfe as from them- felvcs, and knew no otherwife, when neverthelefs what they thought was this Truth defcending from Heaven fo falnlied and perverted in its Way to the lowed Hell. I have heard that this was done three or four Times : The Cafe is the fame with Good, which in its Defcent from Heaven is progreffively turned into Evil oppofite to that Good. Thence it was evident, that Truth and Good proceeding from the Lord, when h is received by thofe who are In the Falfe and in Evil, is changed, and paifeth iuiC) another Form, infomuch that its firfl Form doth not appear. And fo it is with every v/icked Man, for fuch a cne as to his Spirit is in Hell. 2S9. That 42S Angilic Wisdom concerkikg 289. That neither doth any one in Hell think from himfelf, but from others about him, nor thole others from themfelves, but from others dill, and that l^houghts and Affeclions make an orderly Pro- grefTion front one Society to another, without any one's knowing otherwife than that tl;ey are fron^ himfelf, hath often been jQiewn me. Some, who fuppoied they thought and willed from themfelves, were fent into a Society, all Communication being cut off with their Neighbours, to whom alio their Thoughts ufed to extend themfelves, and were de- tained therein ; and then they were told to think oth-, erwife than the Spirits of that Society thought, and to force themfelves t;o think contrary to it, but they confeffed that they found it impoflible. This was done with many, and likewife with Leibnitz, who was alfo convinced, that no one thinks from him^ felf, but from others, and that neither do thofe oth- ers think from themfelves, but all by Influx from Ikaven, and Heaven by Influx from the Lord^ Soine, when they meditated on this Matter, faid that It was aftonifhing, and that fcarce any one would be led to believe it, becaule it is quite contrary to Ap-, pearance, but that yet they could not deny it, be- caufe it was fiilly proved ; neverthelefs, in their State of Admiration, they faid, that at this Rate they are not in Fault, v/hen they think Evil ; alfo, that thus it feems as if Evil were from the Lord ; and moreover, that they did not comprehend, how the Lord alone could caufe all to think fo different-. ly. But thefe three Points Hiall be explained ia what follows. ^90, To The Divinz Pkovidekce. 429 290. To the Experience already ndduc^, this alfo fhall be added ; When it was given me by the Lord to fpeak with Spirits and Angels, this Arca- num was immediately revealed to me ; for it was told me out of Heaven, that I believed as others do, thatl'thought and wiiled fi'om myfelf^when neverihe- lefs it is not from myfelf, but if good, that it is from the Lord, and if evil, that it is from Hell : That this was the Cafe, was alfo demonftrated to me in a lively Manner by various Thoughts andi^ffeclions induced, and it was given mefacceflively to perceive andfeel it; wherefore afterwards, as foon as any Evil flole into my Will, or any falfe Principle into my Thoughts, X inquired whence it came, and it was difcovered to mc, and moreover it was given to fpeak with Them, to re- buk^ them, and to drive them away thai they might retire, and fo withdraw their evil and falfe Principle, and keep it to themfelves, and no longer infufe any fuch Thing into my Thoughts : This hath been done a thoufand Times ; and in this State I have remained now for many Years, and (till continue in it ; and yet 1 feem to myfelf to think and will from myfelf hke others, without any Difference ; for it is of the Lord's Divine Providence that it dityuld fo appear to every one, as was fliewn above in its proper Ar- ticle. Novitiate Spirits wonder at this my State, for it feems to them as if 1 did not think and will any Thing from myfelf, and therefore that i am like Something empty ; but I opened this Arcanum to llicm y and moreover that I alio think more interi- orly, and perceive what flows into my exterior Ihought, whether it be from Heaven or from Jlell, and that 1 reject the latter and receive the former. 430 Angelic WtsDOM concerning former, and that ftlll I feem to myfelf, juft as they doj to think and will from myfelf. 291. That all Good is from Heaven, and all Evil from Hell, is not unknown in the World ; it is known to every one in the Church ; who, that is admitted to the Priefthood, doth not teach that all Good is from God, and that Man cannot take any Thing from himfelf, which is not given him from Heaven ; alfo that the Devil infufeth Evils into Men's Thoughts, and feduceth them, and exciteth them to do Evils i Wherefore a Priefl, who thinks he preacheth from holy Zeal, 4)rayeth that the Holy Ghofl would teach him, lead and influence his Thoughts and Words, and fome fay they perceive fenfibly that they are aded upon, and when their Preachings are commended, anfwer pioully, that they did not fpeak from them- felves, but from God. Wherefore alfo, when they fee any one fpeak and zd: well, they fay he was led of God to do it ; and on the other Hand, when they fee any one fpeak and aft wickedly, they fay "he was led to it by the Devil : That this is the Language of the Church, is well known ; but who believes in the Truth of it ? 292. That all that a Man thinks and wills, and coniequently fays and does, flows from the only Fountain of Life, and that ilill the only Fountain of Life, which is the Lord, is not the Caufe of Man's thinking Evil and Falfe, may be illuftrated by the following Circumftance in the natural World : From its Sun there proceedeth Heat and Light, and thefe two flow into all the Subjefts and Objects which we fee, not only into good Subjects and The Divine Providi:nce. 431 and beautiful Objeds, but alfo into evil Subje<5ls and unbeaiuiful Objeds, and produce in them va- rious EtFods : For they flow not only into Trees which bear good Fruit, but alfo into Trees which bear bad Fruit, yea even into the Fruits themfelves, and caufe them to vegetate ; in Hke Manner they flow into good Seed, and alfo into Tares ; likewife into ufeful or wholefoine Shrubs, and alfo into hurtful or poifonous Shrubs 5 and yet it is the fame Heat and the fame Light, in which there is not any Caufe of Evil, for that exiils in the recipient Sub- jeds and Objeds. The Adion of Heat in hatching Eggs, in which there is an Owl, a Screech-Owl, or an Afp, is the fame as in hatching Eggs which con- tain a Dove, a beautiful Bird, or a Swan ; fet both Kinds of Eggs under a Hen, and they will be hatch- ed by her Heat, which in itfelf is harmlefs ; what then hath the Heat in common with thefe evil and noxious Things ? The Adion of Heat, when it flows into niarfhy Grounds, ftercoraceous, putrid, and cadaverous Subftances, is the fame as when it flows into vinous, fragrant, vegetating, and living Subll^nces ; who but mult fee, that the Caufe doth not exifl in the Heat, but in the recipient Sub- jed ? Moreover, the fame Light produces in one Objed beautiful, -and in another difagreeable Col- oars ; yea, it brighteneth itfelf in white Objeds and fhineth, and becomes opaque in Objeds verg- ing towards black, and darkeneth itfelf. It is the fame in the fpiritual World, there alfo there is Heat and Light from the Sun thereof, which is the Lord ; this Heat and Light flow from Him into their Subjcdi and Objeds 3 the Subjeds and Ob- jeds 4^2 Akc^lic Wisdom coKcfiiaNtNo je6l? there are Angels and Spirits, fpecifically the Things appertaining to their voluntary and in-* telleclual Faculties ; the Heat there is the proceed- ing Divine Love, and the Light there is the pro» ceeding Divine Wifdom ; the Caufe why they are Ireceived differently by one and by another, doth not exiil in the Heat and Light ; for the Lord faith, " That he maketh his Sun to rife on the Evil and on the Good, and fendeth Rain on the Jufi: and on the Unjuft," Matt. v» 45 ; by Sun, in -the fupreme fpiritual Senf;^, is meant the Divine Love, and by Rain the Divine Wifdom^ 293. To this I v/ill add a Sentiment of the An- gels [^Afigelica Senfentia] concerning Will and In- telligence in Man ; their Sentiment is this, that there doth not exift in any i\lan one Grain of Will or Prudence that is proper to himfelf ; for they fay, if there exilled one Grain in any Ivlali^ neither Heaven nor Hell could hold together, and the whole human Race would perifh \ the 'Reafon, they fay, is, becaufe Myriads of Myriads of Men, as many as have been born fmce the Creation of the Worlds conPcitute Heaven and Hell, which are fo fubordi^ "Bate one to another^ that on each Part they makd one. Heaven one beautiful Man, and Hell one Man-Monfter ; and if any lingle Perfon had a fm- gle Grain of Will and Intelligence of his oWn, this One could not poilil^ly exifi, but would be dif- tracledj and with it that Divine Form would perifh ^ which can no otherwife confid and be permanent^ than when the Lord is All in AIU and they alto- gether Nothing. They fay, another Reafon is. becaufe the Divine Principle Goufiils eHentially in thinking The Divine Providenge. 433 thinking and willing from itfelf, and the human Principle confilh eirentially in thinking and willing from God ; and what is eilentially Divine cannot be appropriated to any Man, for in that Cafe Man would be a God. Keep this in Remembrance, and if you defire, it will be confirmed to you by the Angels, when ycu enter into the fpiriuial Vv^orid af- ter Death. 294. It was obferved above, n. cSg, that when fome were convinced that no one thinks from him- felf, but from others, ai>d that all thofe others think, not from themfelves, but by Influx through Heaven from the Lord, they faid in Admiration, that as this is the Cafe, tliey are not blameable when they do Evil ; alfo, that as this is the Cafe, it fcems that Evil is from the Lord ; and hkewife that they did tiot .comprehend, that the Lord alone could caufc all to think fo diverfely. Now inafmuch as thefe three Suggeftions cannot but fiow into the Thoughts of thofe who only think of Effeds from Effects, and not of Effects from Caufe§, it is neceffary that they fhould be affumed, and explained from their Cauf- cs. First : That as this is the Cafe, it would not be their Faulty if they did Evil : For if all that a Man thinks iiows from ethers, it feems as if the Fault were in thofe from whom it ffows ; neverthelefs the Fault is in him who receives, for he receives it as his own, nor doth he know^ any otherwife, neither doth he with to know any otherwife ; for every one defires to be his own, and to be guided by himfeff, and efpecially to think and will for hinifelf ; for this is Liberty iifclf, which appears as proper to ]\Ian, or a? the Proprium in which every Man is j where- G G g fore 434 Angelic Wisdom concerning fore if he knew, that whalfoever he thinketh and willeth, flows from another, he would feem to him- felf to be in Captivity and in Chains, and no longer Mader of himfelf, and fo all the Delight of his Life would periih, and at length his Humanity itfelf. That this is the Cafe, 1 have frequently feen prov- ed ; it was given certain Spirits to perceive and feel that they were led by others, and then their Anger was kindled to fuch a Degree, that they became as it were befide themfelves, and faid, that they would rather be kept in Chains in Hell, than not to be al- lowed to think as they will, and will as they think : Not to be allowed to do this, they called being chained with Refped to their very Lives, which was harder and more intolerable than being chain- ed with Refped: to their Bodies ; net to be allowed to fpeak and act as they thought and willed, this they did not call being chained, becaufc the Delight of civil and moral Life, which confdls in fpeaking and adhig, retrains, and at the fame Time as it were alleviates the Reftnnnt. Now forafmuch as Man doth not defire to know, that he is led to think by others, but is defirous to think from himlelf, and alfo believes that he does it, it follows that the Fault is in himfelf, neither can he free himfelf from it, fo long as he continues to think what he does think ; but if he does not love it, he diilolves his Connexion with thoie from whom his Thought flows ; this is the Cafe when he knows that it is Evil, and therefore defires to fiiun it, and defilf. from it ; then alfo he is taken away of the Lord from the Society, which 15 in that Evil, and tranflated to a Society in vhich that Evil does not exilfj but ii" he knows the Evil, and The Divine Providence. 435 and doth not fhiin it, tlien the Fault is imputed to him, and he becomes guihy of that Evil. There- fore whatfoever a Man thinks he does from himfelf, the fame is faid to be done from the Man, and not from the Lord. Spcondly: That as this is the Cafe^ itfeems that Evil is from the Lord : 1 his may be thought to be a Conclufion deducible from what ^as lliewn above, n. 288, which is, that influent Good from the Lord is turned into Evil, and Truth into what is Falfe, in Hell : But who cannot fee, that Evil and the falfe Principle are not frcra Goodnefs and Truth, confequently not from the Lord, but from the recipient Subjed and ObjecV, which is in Evil, and in the falfe Principle, and per- verts and inverts Goodnefs and Truth, as was alfo fully Ihewn above, n. 292 ? Whence the Evil and falfe Principle in Man proceeds, is in many Places fliewn in the preceding Pages. An Experiment was alfo made in the fniritual World with thofe who thought that the Lord could remove Evils from the Wicked, and introduce Good in Place thereof, and fo transfer all Hell into Heaven, and fave all ; but that this is impofllhle, will be fcen at the End of this Treatife, w here momenlaiieous Salvation and imme- diate Mercy are treated of. Thirdly: That they did not conrprehend^ how the Lord alone ccuJd caufe all to think fo diver fely : The Divine Love of the Lord is infinite, and his Divine Wifdoui is infmile, and infinite Things of Love and inhnite Things oi Wif- dom proceed from the Lord, and How inlc all in Heaven, and tlienre into all in Hell, and iVom both into all the World ; wherefore there cannot be wanting to any one S^incthiug to think and to will^ 436 Angelic Wisdom concerning for infinte Things are infinitely all. Thofe infinite Things, which proceed from the Lord, not only flow iiniverfally, but alfo mod particularly, for the Divine [Agency] is univerfal, by taking Place in Things the nioft particular, and it is Divine Partic- ular's which compofe what is called Univerfal, as was fhewn above j and the mod minute Divine Particu- lar is alfo infinite. Hence it may appear, that the Lord alone caufeth every one to think and will ac- cording to his Quality, and according to the Laws of his Providence. That all the Things which are in the Lord, and proceed from the Lord, are infi- nite, was (hewn above, n. 46 to 69 ; and alfo in the Treatife on The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom, n. 17 to 22. 295. IL Thai the Wicked continually lead thcmfehcs into Evils'^ but that the Lord continually leadetb them cut cf Evils. How the Divine Providence operates with the Good, may be more eafily comprehended, than hov/ it operates with the Evil ; and forafmuch as the latter Operation is now treated of, it Ihall be fet forth in the following Series, i. That there are Things innumerable in every Evil. 2. That the wicked Man from hnnfelf plungeth himfelf con- tinually more and more deeply into his Evils. 3. That the Divine Providence with the Wicked is a continual PermilTion of Evil, to the End that there rnay be a continual Abduction therefrom, or that they may be continually drawn out of it. 4. That Abdudion or Deliverance from Evil is eifeiSled of the Lord by a thoufand mod fecret Means. 296. In Order then that the Nature of the Di- vine Providence in its Operation with the Wicked mny The Divine Providence. 437 may be diftindly perceived, and fo comprehended, the above Propofitions (liall be explained ia the Or- der in which they are adduced : First : That there are Things innii?ncrable i?i every Evil : Every Evil ap- pears to Man as one fimple Thing, this is the Cafe with Hatred and Revenge, alfo with Theft and Fraud, Adultery and Whoredom, Pride and High- mindednefs, and with every other Evil ; and it is not known that in every Evil there are Things in- numerable, exceeding in Number tl:c Fibres and VelTels in a Man's Body ; for a wicked Man is a Hell in its lead Form, and Hell confifls of Myriads of Myriads, and every one there is in a human Form although it be a monftrous one, and all the Fibres and all the Veflels in it are inverted ; the Spirit it- felf is Evil, appearing to itfelfas one; but innume- rable as the Things are that are in it, fo innumera- ble are the Concupifcences of its Evil ; for every Man is his own Evil or his own Good from the Crown of his Head to the Sole of his Foot : Since then a wicked Man is fuch, it is evident that he is one Evil, compofed of various innumerable ones, which are difLinclIy Evils, and are called Concupi- fcences of Evil. Hence it follows, that all tliefe in their Order are to be repaired and converted of the Lord, to the End that Man may be reformed, and that this cannot be efiely : That the wicked Man from himfelf continually phingeth him/elf more deeply into his Evils : It is faid, from himlelf, becaufe all Evil is from Man, for he converteth the Good which is from tlie Lord into Evil, as was faid above. Ihe true Realbn why the wicked Man plungeth himfelf more deeply into Evil, is, becaufe he introduceth himfelf more and more interiorly, and alfo more and more deeply, into infernal So- cieties, as he willeth and doeth Evil ^ thence alfo the The Divine Providence. 439 the Delight of Evil increafeth, and fo occupies his Thoughts, that at lali: he feels nothing more pleaf- ant ; and he who hath introduced himfelf more interiorly and profoundly into infernal Societies, becometh like one bound in Chains ; but fo long as he liveth in the World, he doth not feci his Chains, for they are like foft Wool, or fine filken Threads, which he loves becaufe they are pleafure- able ; but after Death thofe Chains from foft be- come hard, and inflead of being pleafureable, they are galling. That the Delight of Evil is capable of Increafe, is well known from Thefts, Robberies, Revenges, Depredations, Tyrannies, Defire of Lu- cre, and other Evils ; who doth not feel Elevations of the Delight of thefe Evils, in Proportion to his Succefs and unreftrained Practice thereof ? It is well known, that the Thief feels fuch Delight in Thefts, that he cannot defifl from them, and, what is wonderful, that he loves one flolen Piece of Money better than ten that are given him : It would be the fame with Adulteries, if it were not provid- ed, that the Power of committing that Evil de- creafes according to the Abufe of it ; but yet with many there remaineth a Delight in thinking and fpeaking of it, and if Nothing more, a Lufl of touching. But it is not known what is the Reafon of this Increafe of Delieht, and that it is a Ccnfe- quence of the Perfon's introducing himfelf into infernal Societies more and more interiorly, and more and more deeply, as he commits Evils in Will, and at the fame Time in Thought ; if they are on- ly in Thought, and not in Will, he is not yet with Evil in an infernal Society, but he then enters vvhen they 4^xo Akgelic Wisdom coNCERNiNa they are alfo in the Will ; if in this Cafe he thinks alfo that fuch Evil is contrary to the Precepts of the Decalogue, and confidsrs thefe Precepts as Divine, he then commits it intentionally, and there- by plunges himfelf into Hell more deeply, whence he cannot be drawn out but by actual Repentance. It is to be obferved, that every Man, with RefpeO: to his Spirit, is in the fpiiitual World in fome So- ciety there, the wicked Man in fome infernal So- ciety, and the good Man in fome celedial Society ; he alfo appears there fometimes when he is in deep \jilta~] Meditation. Moreover, as Sound together with Speech diffufes itfelf in the Air in the natural World, fo doth Affedtion together with Thought diilufe itfelf among Societies in the fpiritual W^orld ; there is alfo a Correfpondence between them, for Aifeclion correfponds to Sound j> and Thought to Speech. Thirdly : 27?^/ the Divine Providence with the Wicked is a. continual Fermiffion of Evil^ io the End that they may be continually drawn out of it* The Reafon why .the Divine Providence xnih wick- ed Men is continual PerruiOion, is, becaufe Nothing but Evil can proceed out of their Life ; for Man, whether he be in Good, or in Evil, cannot be in both at once, neither alternately, except he be lukewarm ; and Evil of Life is not introduced into the Will, and through it into the Thought, by the Lord, but it is introduced by Man, and this is called Permillion. Now forafnmch as all that a wicked Man wiileth and thinketh is of Permiffioa, jt may be alked, how then is the Divine Providence therein, which is faid to be in the moil: minute Par- ticulars v/ith every M;.u'u cis well the Wicked as the The Divine Providence. ^t the Good.? I anforerj In this Refped, that it con«« tinually permitteth for a certain End, and that it permiiteth luch Things as are conciur^v^.. to that End, and no others, and that it continuHliy exam- ines, feparates, and purifies the Evils which iffue forth by Permiflion, and fiich as are not confident with the End propofed, it removes and exonerates by unknown Ways : Thefe Things are done prin- cipally in the interior Will of Man, and from it in his interior Thought : The Divine Providence is alfo continual in this, that it provideth that thofe Things which are to be removed and exonerated, fhould not be again received by the Will, becaufe ail Things which are received by the Will are ap- propriated to Man ; but the Things which are re- ceived in the Thought and not in the Will, are fep- arated and fet afide. This is the Lord's continual Providence with the Wicked, which, as was ob- ferved, is a continual Permiflion of Evil, to the End that'they may be perpetually drawn out of it* OI thefe Operations of Providence, Man fcarcely knoweth any Thing, becaufe he doth not perceive them ; the primary Reafon why he doth not per- ceive them, is, becaufe Evils are of the Concupi- fcences of his Life's Love, and thofe Evils are not perceived as Evils, but as Delights, to which no one attends ; for who attends to the Delights of his Love ? Man's Thought fwims in them, hke a Boat when it is carried along by a gliding Stream ; and it is perceived as a fragrant Atmofphere, which is drawn in with full Infpiration : He can only per- ceive Something thereof in his external Thought, but yet neither doth he attend to them there, un- H H h lefs 44* AkgeLic Wisdom ^c^ncernutg? kfs he Itnoweth well that they are Evik, But of this, more in what now follows. FotiRTKLY : That Abdu3ian '0r-'DeIivcTan<:e from Evil is efeBed of the Lord bj d ihoufand moff. fieret Means, Of thefe fbine few only have b'een difcovered to' me, and thefe only of a genet 2^1 Netute, which are^ that the Delights of G^^/ficupifcenees^ of which i^ Maa know- tih Nothing, z.t€ emitted in Comp^fties' arrd m Faf- cicies (Bimdles) into his interior Thoughts, which are thofe of his Spirit^ and from then(!:e into his exterior Thoughts, in whrch they make their Ap^ pearance under fome Senfe of Plcafure, Satisfadion, 6r Cupidity, and are there intermixed wifh his nat-* ural and fenfual Delights ; it is here that thd Means of S"epatatian and Purilieation are, and alia mt Ways of Abdii£^ioa and Exoneration : Thefe Means aTs principally the Delights of Meditation:,- Thought, and Refleclion for the S^a'ke of certain Ends, which ctre of Ufe, and Ends which are of Ufe are as- muny m Number as the Particulars and Singulars of any one's Bufmefs and Fundion ; and alfo as many in Number, as there are Delights of Reflection, to the End that he may appear as » civil and moral, and alfo as a fpiritual Man, befides the tmdelightfult Things which interpofe ; thefe Delights^ forafmirch as they are of his Love in the external Man, are the Means of Separation, Purifi- cation, Excretion, and Abduction of the Delight^j cf the Goneupifce^ces of Evil of the internal Man. Take for Example an iinjuO: Judge, who has Inter- eft and Connexions of Friendfhip in View, as the £nds or Ufes of his Fundion ; interiorly he is con- tinually in thof^ Ends, but exteriorly his View is to aft , The Divine Providence, 44^ jjift like a fkiUul Lawyer aofl.^ juft Man ; he is coa- linuaiiy in the Delight of meditating, thinking, re.. f.ed:ing^ ^nd intending,, how to beod ;;^hat is right, to turn, %d?cpt, and ac^ommodaie it, fo that it may feeni jconfprmabje to the Laws, and confiftent wiih J ufl-ice ^ neither doth he know that bis , internal JQclight ponfifts of Cunning, Fraud, De.eeit, claa- d^dine TJieRs, and many other ThingSs, ^nd that this Delight, compounded of lo many Pelight;? of Concupifcences of Evil, rules in the whole and ii^ every Particular of his external Thought, in which pxift the l)elight? of the Appearance that he is juft and fincere:; the internal Delights are let down in» to thefe external Delights, ^nd mixed like Food ig the Stomach, and there they are feparated, purified, ^nd drawn pflFj but this is the Cafe only with the more grievous Delights of the Concijpifceaces of Ej. yil ; for in ^ wicked iV'lan there takes Place uq oth- er Separation, Purification, and Removal, but that of more grievous Evils from the lefs grievous, whereas in a good Man there takes Place a Separa- tion, Purihcaticn, and Removal, not only of more grievcms Evils, but alfo of the lefs grievous, and this is efFeded by the Delights of the Affection^ of Goodjiefs and TT^th, and of J.uftice and Sincerity, into which he enters in Proportion as he confiders Evils as Sins, and therefore fliuns and hokls them in Averfion, and ilill more if hp fights againfl them. Thefe aire the Means, by wWch the Lord purifies all who are faved ; he alfo purifies the fame by external Means which have refpe6t to Fame and Honour, and fometimes to interell ; but neverthelefs into thefe are inferted by the Lord De- lights 444 Angelic Wisdom concerning lights of the AfTedions of Goodnefs and Truth, by which they are fo directed and adapted as to become ©elights of neighbourly Love, If any one were to fee the Delights of the Concupifcences of Evil to- gether, in any Form, or were to perceive them dif- litidtly with any Senfe, • he' would fee and perceive them in'fuch Number, that they could riot be dcr .fined ; .for the Whole of Hell is Nothing but the Form of 2ill the Conciipifcences of Evil, and no Concupifcence of Evil there, is altogether fimllar or the fame with any other, neither can there exifi: one exadly like another, or the fame with it, to all 'Eternity ; and of thefe innumerable Concupifcences 'Man fcarcelv knoweth any Thing, nluch lefs how they are conneded ; and yet it is permitted of the Lord, by his Divine Providence continually, that they fhould come forth, to the End that they may be drawn off, which is done in all Order and Se- ries ; for a wicked Man is Hell in its leaft Form, BS a good Man is Heaven in its leaft Form. That Abduction or Deliverance from Evils is effected of' the Lord by a thoufahd moft fecret Means^ cannot better be feen, and thereby concluded, than from the fecret Operations of the Soul in the Body j thofe with which Man is acquainted are the follow- ing 5 with Refpe<5l to the Food he is to eat, he fees it or looks at it. fmells it, hath an Appetite for it, taftes it, chevv-s it with his Teeth, turns it about v/ith his Tongue, fwallows it thus down into the Stomach, and fo into the Belly ; but the fecret Operations of the Soul with which Man is unac- quainted, becaufe he doth not perceive them, are the following 5 ' the Stomach turns about the Food it ^*^' Tni "Divine' PROviDENeHJ'- 445 h has received, by^Means of its folvent Li-quor opens and feparates^ ks Parts, that is, digelts it, and pre- fents fucii as is properly prepared to the Mouths of the VefTels which open into' the Inteflines, which drink it up ; it alfo didributes and fends fome Parts into the Blood, feme into the lymphatic Vedels, fome into the la(^eal Veflels of tl>e Mefcnte- fy, and conveys fome down the Inteftines'; after- wards the Chyle, which is drawn through the Yef- fels of "th^ Mefentary into its Receptacle, is convey- ed through the thoracic Du£l into the Vena Cava, and fo into the Heart, and from the Heart into the Lungs, and from thence through the left Ventricle of the Heart into the Aorta, and from the Aorta by itk different Ramifications- into the -Vifcera of the whole Body, and alfo into the Kidneys, in each of which there is a Separation and Purification of the Blood,, and a Removal of heterogeneous Parts; not to 'meniion how the Heart didributes its Blood to the Brain after it has been purilied in the Lungs^ which is done by the Arteries which are called Ca- rotids, and how the Brain returns the Blood vivified into the above-mentioned Vena Cava, into which the thoracic Duel empties the Chyle, and fo again to the Heart. Thefe, befides innumerable others, are the fecret Operations of the Soul in the Body ; Man perceives Nothing of thefe, and he who is not (killed in Anatomy knows Nothing of them ; and yet fmiilar Things are done in the Interiors of the Mind of Man, for Nothing can be done in the Body, except from the Mind, inai'much as the Mind of Man is his Spirit, and his Spirit is equally a Man, with this only Difference, that the Things which are done 446 Ai^GELic Wisdom eoNCEiiNiKg done .in the Body, are done natarallyj and ths Things which are done in the Mind, are dpne fpir^ itually, there is a perfeQ: Similitude, Hence it is ev« ident, that the Divine Providence operates a thcii^ fand hidden Ways irv every Man, and th^t^its En4 is continiiaily to purify hiiDj, becaiife its ii^d is t<^ fjve him, and that Nothing more is incunibent up* on Man, but to remove Eyjls in the external- Man v the reft the Lord provideth, if b|2 be iniplpred. 297. ,111, That the J¥ipkcd cannot he renppely led out of Evils' by the Lord^ and led into Gm{Ij^^ f^l^M H they think felpderived Intelligence is MK: ^^4l *^!? -I^^^. vine Pf'ppidenfe Nothing, it appears a^;if;]VJ.anxoU4 kad himfelf out of Eviis^ if he v/ould but think that this or that 15 contrary to. the Good of.th^/C.oipi^iUri nity, jGontrary to Utihty, and contriiiry tQ tte Law^ of ; hk > CoTjntry and the Law of Nations j thjs a wicked Man, can do as well as a good Man, provide ed he be fuch by Birth, or from the Exercife of hi$ Faculties, as to be able to think within himfelf ansr^^ lytically and rationally in a diftind Manner 5 but itill he is not able to draw himfelf out of Evil^ th^ Reafon is, becaufe the Faculty of under ]landi:3:g and, perceiving 1 hings even, abftradly is given of th^ Lord to every one, as well the Wicked as the Good, as hath been ihewn in many Places above j but ftill Man by Means of this Faculty cannot draw himfelf out of Evil ; for Evil is of the WiD, and the Un- derftanding doth not flow into the Will except with Light only, and illuminates and teaches, and if the. Heat of the Will, that is, the Life's Love of Man, is fervid from the ConcUpifccnce of Evil, it is theiv frigid or cold as to the Affection of Good, where- fore Th2 Divine PuoviIjencs. 447 fore it doth not receive Light,' but either rejeds or extinguidies it, or by Ibine invented falfe Principle converts it into Evil ; the Cafe is herein as uith the Light of" Winter, ^vhich is equally as clear as the Light of Suminef, and which flowing into cold Trees produces a finiilar EfFed with fpiritual Light •^hen the Will is cold : But thcfc Things will be feeii more fully in the following Order, i. I'hat felf-derivcd Intelligence, when the Will is in Evil^ feeth Nothing but what is falfe, and that it neither will nor can fee any Thing elfc. 2, That if ft'lf- derived Intelligence then feeth Truth, it turns Itfclf away, or faUifies it. 3. That the Divine Provi* dence continually canfeth Man to fee Truth, and alfo giveth him the Atfedicn of perceiving it, and moreover of receiving it. 4. That thereby Man is draivn out of Evil, not of l^imfelf, but of the Lord. 298. But thefe Propofitions fliall be explained in their proper Order to the rational Man, whether he be v/icked or good, therefore whether he be in the Light of W^inter, or in the Light of Summer, for Colonic appear alike in both. First : That fe If 'derived IntelUgence^ 10 ben the Mill is in Evil ^ feci h Nothing but u-hat is falfe ^ and thai it neither will nor can fee any Thijig elfe : This hath often been exper- imentally {hewn in the fpiritual World : Every Man, when he becomes a Spirit, which he does after Death, (for he then puts off his material Body, and puts on a fpiritual Body,) is alternately let into the two States of his Life, the external and the inter- nal ; when he is in the external State, lie fpeak* and alfo ads rationally and wifely, juft like a ra-* tional 44S Angelic Wisdqm concerning tional and: wife Man in the Worlds and morcovef can teach others many Thmgs which relate to mo* ral ^nd civil Lite ; and if he had been a Preacher, he can alio teach Things relating to fpiritual Life ; but when he is let out of this into his internal State, and the External is laid afleep, and the Internal is awakened, then, if he is wicked, the Scene is chan- ged; inftead of rational, he becomes fenfual, and indead of wife, infane ; for he thinks then from the Evil of his Will and its Delight, therefore from felf-derived Intelligence, and feeth Nothing but what is Falfe, and doeth Nothing but Evil, thinking that Malice is Wifdom, and that Cunning is Pru- dence, and from klf-derived Intelligence he fancies hirafelf a God, and imbibes with all his Soul the moil wicked Arts : Such Infanity I have often feen ; and have alio feen Spirits let into thefe alternate States two or three Times in an Hour, and then it was given them to fee their Infanities, and alfo to acknowledge them, but yet they would not remain in their rational and moral State, but turned them- felves of their own Accord to their internal, fenfual, and infane State, for this they loved more than the other, becaufe therein confiued the Delight of their Life's Love. From this Experience alone it may appear, what the Nature of felf-derived Intelligenc-e is, when it thinks and ads from the Evil of its WilL The Cafe is different with the Good, when they are let into an internal State from an external, they be- come (till more wife and moral than before. Sec- ondly : That if felf-derrced Intelligence then fee; Truths it either turns it/elf away^ orfaljijies it, Man hath a voluntary Proprium and an intellectual Pro- prium. The Divine Providence. 449 fjnum, his voluntary Proprium is Evil, and his intel- lectual Proprium is the Falfe Principle derived from that Evil ; the latter is meant by the Will of Man, and the former by the Will of the Flefli, John i. 13. The voluntary Proprium in its ElTence is Self-Love, and the intelledlual Proprium is Pride proceeding from that Love ; thefe two are like two connubial Partners, and their Marriage is called the Marriage of Evil and the Falfe ; every evil Spirit is let into this Marriage, before he is admitted into Hell, and when he is fo, he doth not know what Good is, for he calleth his ov;n Evil Good, inafmuch as he feel- eth it as his Delight ; and moreover then he turn- eth himfelf away from Truth, neither will he fee it, becaufe the falfe Principle agreeing with his Evil is feen by him, as beautiful Objects are by the Eye, and is heard by him as harmonious Sounds are by the Ear. Thirdly : Tbat the Divine Providence continually caiifeth Man io fee Truths and alfo giveth him the AJI'edion of perceiving and receiving it. The Reafon of this is, becaufe the Divine Providence ads from within, and flows thence into rhe Exteriors, or it a£ls from the fpiritual Man upon the Things which are in the natural Man, and by the Light of Heaven illuminates his Underflanding, and by the Heat of Heaven vivifies his Will ; the Light of Heaven in its EiTence is Divine Wifdom, and the Heat of Heaven in its Effence is Divine Love, and from Divine Wifdom Nothing elfe can flow but Truth, and from Divine Love Nothing elfe can fiow but Good, and from this the Lord giveth in the Underftanding the Afteclion of feeing T'uth, and alfo of pcrceivin;r and receiving it : Thus Man is I I i ma(]e 45*0 Angelic Wisdom concerning made a Man, not only as to his external Face, bat alfo as to his internal. Who doth not wifh to feem a rational and fpiritual Man ; and who doth not know that he wifheth to feem fo, in Order that he may be though^ by others to be a true Man ? If thtrefore he is only rational and fpiritual in his ex- ternal Form, and not at the fame Time in his inter- nal, can he be faid to be otherwife than like a Player upon the Stage, or like an Ape whofe Face nearly refembles the human ? May he not know from thence that he alone is a Man, who interiorly is fuch, as he defireth to be thought by others ; he who acknowledges one, acknowledges the other. Self-derived Intelligence can opjy induce the human Form in Enternah, but the Divine Providence in- duces that Form in Internals, and through Internals in External^) and when this is induced, Man does not barely appear to be Man, but is Man. Fourth- ly : That Man is thereby drawn out of Evils ^ not of himfelf^ but of the Lord, The Reafon why, when the Divine Providence gives to fee Truth, and at the fame Time the AfFedion thereof, Man can be drawn out of Evil, is, becaufe Truth fhews and dic- tates, and when the Will does it, it joins itfelf there- vvdth, and in itfelf converts Truth into Good, for Truth in this Cafe becomes the Truth of Man'3 Love, and that which is of the Love, the fame is Good : All Reformation is effeded by Truth, and not without it, for without Truth the Will is con- tinually in its Evil, and if it confults the Under- (landing, it is not inilruCled, but Evil is confirmed by Falfes. As to what relates to Intelligence, it appears as well in a good Man as in a wicked Man to Thb Divine Providence. 451 to be his own, and moreover a good Man is obliged, as well as a wicked Man, to a6l from Intelligence feemingly proper to himfelf ; yet he who believes in -the Divine Providence, is withdrawn from Evil, JDUt he who doth not believe, is not withdrawn ; and he believes in it, who acknowledgeth Evil to be Sin, and defireth to be delivered from it ; and he doth not believe it, who doth not acknowledge and defire this : The Difference between thefe twq Kinds of Intelligence is like the Difference between that which is thought to exift: in itfelf, and that which is thought not to exift in itfelf, but ftill as in itfelf; and it is alfo like the Difference between an External without a correfpondent Internal, and an External with a correfpondent Internal ; confe- quently Hke the Ditlerence between the Words and Geftures of Mimics and Players^ who perfonate Kings, Princes, and Generals, and the Kings, Prin- ces, and Generals themfelves ; the latter are interi- orly as well as exteriorly fuch, the former only ex- teriorly, which Exterior when it is put off, they are called Comedians, Adors, and Players, 299. IV. That the Lord governs Hell by Oppofites^ and that the Wicked^ who are in the Worlds he gov- erns in Hell as to Interiors, but not as to Exteriors, He who doth not know the Nature of Heaven and of Hell, cannot at all know the Nature of Man's Mind, the Mind of Man being his Spirit which lives after Death ; the Reafon is, becaufe the Mind or Spirit of Man, in all the Particulars of its Form, is fimilar to that of Heaven or Hell ; there is no Dif- ference, except that one is great, and the other is ^mall, or that one is an Image, and the other its Type j 452 Angelic Wisdom concerning Type ; wherefore Man, as to his Mind or Spirit, is either a Heaven or a Hell in its leafl Form, he is a Heaven who is led of the Lord, and he is a Hell ivho is led of his own Proprium. Now forafmuch as it hath been given me to know the Nature both of Heaven and Hell, and it is of Importance to know what the Nature of Man is with Refpecl to his Mind or Spirit, I will briefly give a Defcription of both, 3C0. All who are in Heaven, are Nothing but Affedions of Good and thence Thoughts of Truth ; and all who are in Hell, are Nothing but Concupi- fcences of Evil and thence Imaginations of what is Falfe ; and thefe are fo arranged on both Sides, that the Concupifcences of Evil and the Imaginations of what is Falfe in Hell, are diredly oppofite to the Aiiedions of Good and the Thoughts of Truth in Heaven, wherefore Hell is under Heaven, and dia- metrically oppofite to it, as much fo as two Men who lie oppolite to each other, or ftand oppofite as Antipodes, confequently inverted, with the Soles of their Feet placed againft each other, and (landing each upon the Heels of the other ; fometimes alfo Hell appears in fuch a Situation, or thus turned, with Refped to Heaven : The Reafon is, becaufe they who are in Hell make the Concupifcences of Evil their Head, and the Affedions of Good their F'^eet, but they who are in Heaven, make the Affec- tions of Good their Flead, and the Concupifcences of Evil the Soles of their Feet ; lience their mutual Oppofition. It is faid that in Heaven there are AHJedious of Good and thence Thoughts of Truth, aud tliat in FIcU there arc Concupifcences of Evi'i and The Divine Providence. 453 and thence Imaginations of the Falfe, and it is meant that there are Spirits and Angels who are fuch, for every one is his own Affedion or his own Concu- pifcence, the Angel of Heaven is his own Affec- tion, and the Spirit of Hell is his own Concupi- scence. 301. The Reafon why the Angels of Heaven are Affections of Good and thence Thoughts of Truth, is, becaufe they are Recipients of Divine Love and Divine Wifdom from the Lord, and all Affedions of Good are from Divine Love, and all Thoughts of Truth are from Divine Wifdom : But the Rea- fon why the Spirits of Hell are Concupifcences of Evil and thence Imaginations of the Falfe, is, be- caufe they are in the Love of Self and in felf-derived Intelligence, and all Concupifcences of Evil are from the Love of Self, and Imaginations of the Falfe are from felf-derived Intelligence. 302. The Ordination or Arrangement of Affec- tions in Heaven, and of Concupifcences in Hell, is wonderful, and known only to the Lord ; they are on both Sides diftinguiffied into Genera and Spe- cies, and fo conjoined or conneded as to a6l as one ; and forafrauch as they are diftinguifhed into Genera and Species, they are ciiftinguifficd into greater or leffer Societies ; and forafmuch as they are conjoin- ed that they may act as one, they are conjoined like all the Tilings that are in a Man ; hence Heaven in its Form is hke a beautiful Man, whofe Soul is the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdom, therefore the Lord ; and I Tell in its Form is like a Monfler, whole Soul is Self-Love and felf-derived Intelli- gence, therefore the Devil j for there is not any particular ^54 Angelic Wisdom concerning particular Devil, who is fole Lord there, but Self- Love is fo called. 303. But that the Nature of Heaven and Hel| may be flill better underflood, inflead of the AfFec- lions of Good take the Delights of Good, and in- {lead of the Concupifcences of Evil take the De- lights of Evil, for there doth not exift any Affedion or Concupifcence without its Delights, inafmuch as Delights conflitute the Life of every one y thefe Delights are didinguilhed and connected, as was faid above of the Affedions of Good and the Con- cupifcences of Evil : The Delight of his Afledion fills and encompafles every Angel of Heaven ; and moreover their common Delight fills and encom- paffes every Society of Heaven ; and the Delight of all together, or that which is mod general, fills and encompafles the univerfal Heaven : In like Manner, the Delight of his Concupifcence fills and encom- pafles every Spirit of Hell ; and its common De- light every Society of Hell ; and the Delight of all^ or that which is general, the Whole of Hell. Inaf- much as the Affections of Heaven, and the Concu- pifcences of Hell, are, as was obferved above, dia- metrically oppofite to each other, it is evident that the Delight of Heaven is io undelightful or difa- greeable in Hell, that they cannot fupport it, and on the other Hand, that the Delight of Hell is fo undelightful or difagreeable in Heaven, that neither can they fupport it ; hence proceeds their mutual Antipathy, Averfion, and Separation. 7,04. Thefe Delights, inafmuch as they confliitute. the Life of each Individual in particular, and of the Community in general, are not ielt by thofe whq are The Divine Providence. 455 ^re in them, but their Oppofites are felt when they approach, efpecially when they are turned into Smells, for every Delight correfponds to fome Smell, and in the fpiritual World may be turned into it t, and then the Delight of Heaven in general is felt like the Smell of a Garden, with fome Variety ac- cording to the Fragrancies arifing therein from tlowers and Fruits ; and the Delight of Hell in general is felt like ftagnant Water, into which have been caft divers Kinds of Filth, with fome Variety according to the Stench of Things putrid and ofFen- five therein. In what Manner the Delight of each Jjarticular AfFe6lion of Good in Heaven^, and of each particular Concupifcence of Evil in Hell, is felt^ hath been given to know, but it would be prolix to explain it here. 305. I have heard many New*Comers from the World complain, that they did not know that their Lot would be according to the AfFe61;ions of their Love ; faying, that in the World they did not think of them, much lefs of the Delights thereof, becatife they loved that which was delightful to them ; and that they only thought, that the Lot of every one would be according to his Thought grounded in In- telligence, efpecially according to Thoughts ground- ed in Piety, and likewife in Faith : But it was given them for Anfwer, that they might have known, if they would, that a Life of Evil is difagreeable to Heaven and difpleafmg to God, and that it is plea* fmg to Hell and delightful to the Devil ; and on the other Hand, that Good of Life is grateful to Heaven and pleafmg to God, and unpleafant to Hell and difagreeable to the Devil, and therefore that 4j6 Angelic Wisdom concerninq that Evil in itfelf is offenfive, and Good is fragrant : And fince they might have known this if they would, why did not they fhun Evils as infernal and diabolical, and w^hy did they favour Evils merely becaufe they were delightful ? And fince they now know that the Delights of Evil have an offenfive Smell, they might alfo know that fuch in whom they abound cannot enter into Heaven. After this Anfwer, they betook themfelves to thofe who were in fimilar Delights, for there, and no where elfe, could they breathe. 306. From the Idea which has now been given of Heaven and Hell, it may appear what the Nature of the Mind of Man is, (for, as hath been faid, the Mind or Spirit of Man is a Heaven or a Hell in its lead Form,) namely, that his Interiors are mere Afre6lions and Thoughts derived therefrom, divided into Genera and Species, like greater and leffer Soci- eties, and fo connected as to act as one ; and that the Lord rules thofe Afieclions and Thoughts, in like Manner as he rules Heaven or Elell. That Man is either a Heaven or a Hell in its lead Form, may be fcen in the Work concerning Heaven AND Hell, publijQied in London, Anno 1758, n. 51 to 87. 307. Now to the Point In Queftion, that the Lord governs Hell by Oppofites, and that the Wick- ed, who are in the World, are governed by Him In Hell, as to Interiors, but' not as to Exteriors. As to what relates. First, To the Lord's govemijig Hell by Oppofites ; it is fhewn above, n. 288, 289, that the Angels of Heaven are not in Love and Wifdom, or in the Aifectlon of Good and thence in the Thought The Divine Providence. 457 thought of Truth from themfelves, but n-om the Lord ; and that Good and Truth flow from Heav- en into Hell, and that therefore Good is turned into Evil, and Truth into what is Falfe, by Reafon that the Interiors of their Minds are turned in «i contrary Direction : Now fnice all Things in Hell are oppo- fite to all Things in Heaven, it follows, that the Lord governs Hell by OppofiteSi Secondly : That the Wicked^ who are jn the Worlds are goveriied i/i Hell by the Lord ; the Reafon is, becaufe Man with Refped to his Spirit is in .the fpiritual Vv orld, and there in fome Society, in an infernal Society if he is wicked, and in a celeftial Society if good -, for the Mind of Man, which in itfelf is fpiritual, cannot be any where but among Spirits, into whofe Society it comes alfo after Death ; that this is the Cafe, hath alfo been faid and ihewn above. But Man is not there like one of the Spirits who is infcribed into the Society, for Man is continually in a State of Reformation, where- fore according to his Life and the Changes thereof, he is tranllated by the Lord from one Society of Hell to another, if he is wicked ; but if he fuffers him- felf to be reformeJ, he is led out of Hell and intro- duced into Heaven, and there alfo he is tranllated from one Society to another, and this until the Time of his Death, after which he is no longer carried from one Society to another, becaufe he is then no longer in any State of Reformation, but remains in that in Vv'hich he is according to his Life ; wherefore when a Man dies, he is infcribed in his ov/n Place. Thirdly : That the Lord thus governs the Wicked in the World as to their Interiors^ but differently as to their Exteriors : The Lord gov- K K k ems 458 Angelic Wisdom concerning erns the Interiors of the Mind of Man, m the Man- ner }v\(l defciihed, but its Exteriors he governs in the World of Spirits, which is in the Midfh between Heaven and Hell ;' the Reafon is, becaufe Man for the mod Part is different in Extei'nals from what he is in Internals ; for in Externals he can fimulate an Angel of L'^^htj and yet in Internals be a Spirit of Darknefs, wherefore his External is governed one Way, artd his Internal another; his External is governed in the World of Spirits, but his Internal in Heaven of in Hell, fo long as he is in the World ; wherefore alfo, when he dies, he comes firlt into the World of Spirits, and there into his External, which External is there put off, and this being put off, he is transferred to his Place in which he is infcribed. What the World of Spirits is, may be feen in the Work concerning Heaven and Hell, published in London, Anno 1758, n. 421 to ^^^. That the Divine Providence neither ap^ propriates Evil nor Good to any one^ but that Jdf -derived Pniae7ice appro-' priates both. 308. XT is believed almofl: by every one, that 1 Man thinketh and willeth from himfelf, and thence fpeaketh and a£teth from himfelf ; who can think otherwife when he thinks from himfelf, fmce The Divine Providence. 459 fmce the Appearance that it is fo, is fo flrong, that it differs Nothing frorn the Reality, vjz. thinking, willing, fpeaking, and aQing from one^s Self, which yet is not polfible ? In The Angelic Wisdom CONCERNING THE DiviNE WiSDOM, it is alfo de- pionflirated, that there is one only Life, and that Men are Recipients of Life ; alfo that the Will of jMan is the Receptacle of Love, and the Under- ftanding of Man is the Receptacle of Wifdom^ >vhich two conilitute that one only Life. It is alfo 4emonfl:rated, that it is ordered by Creation, and thence by the Divine Providence continually, that that Life fhould appear in Man, in fuch a Similitude as if it were his ov/n, confequently proper to him- felf, but that this is an Appearance, to the End that Man may be capable of being a Receptacle. More- over it is demonitrated above, n. 288 to 294, that no Man thinks from himfelf, but from others, and that neither do thofe others think from themfelvesj JDut all from the Lord, therefore that the Wicked do fo as well as the Good ; likewife that tliis is known in the Chriilian World, efpecially among thofe who not only fay, but alfo believe that all Goodnefs and Truth are from the Lord, alfo all Wifdom, and of Courfe all Faith and Charity ; and moreover thar every Thing Evil and Falfe is from the Devil or from Hell. From all thefe Premifes no other Con- clufion can be deduced, than that whatever a Man thinketh and willeth comes by Influx, and foraf- much as all Speech flows from Thought, as an Eflecl from its Caufe, and all Action in like Manner from the W^ill, therefore that whatever Man fpeak- ^th and aiEleth, cameth likewife by Influx, although derivatively 4S'o Angelic Wisdom cokcerking derivatively or mediately : That whatever a Man fees, hears, fmells, taftes, and feels, comes by Influx, cannot be denied ; why not then what he thinks and wills ? Can there be any Difference, than that fuch Things as are in the natural World flow into or imprefs the Organs of the external Senfes or of the Body, and that fuch Things as are in the fpirit- ual World flow into or imprefs the organic Sub- ilances of the internal Senfes or of the Mind ? there- fore, that as the Organs of tht external Senfes, 'or ol:" the Body, are Receptacles of natural Objeds, fo the organic Subdances of the internal Senfes, or of the Mind, are Receptacles of fpiritual Objed^s. Since this is the State of Man, what then is hi^ Proprium ? For his Proprium does not confifl in his being fuch or fuch a Receptacle, becaufe thq Proprium is nothing elfe but his (^ality with Re- fpeclto Reception, and is not the Proprium of Life ; for by Proprium no one means any Thing elfe but what lives from itfelf, and thereby thinks pid wills from itielf ; but that fuch a Proprium doth not exifr in Man, yea, that neither can it cxifl: in any one, follows as a Confequence from what hath been faid above. 309. But I will relate w^hat I have heard from fome in the fpiritual World ; they were of thofe who believed felf-derived Prudence to be every Thing, and the Divine Providence Nothing : I faid that Man hath not ary Proprium, (or any Thing which can finally be faid to be proper to himfelf) unlefs vou choofe to make his Proprium confifl in his being fuch and fuch a Subjecl, or fuch and fuch an Organ, or fuch and fuch a Form, but this is not the The Divine Providence. 461 the Propriuni which is meant, for it is only his Quality ; but that no Man hath any Proprium, in the Senle in which Propriuni is commonly under- ftood : They who afcribed all Things to felf-derived Prudence, who may be called Proprietaries^ being the very Image of what eflentially conflitutes that Charader, grew fo enraged, that a Flame appeared ilTuing from their Noflrils, faying, You utter Para- doxes and Infanities ; would not Man in this Cafe be an empty Nothing ? He would either be a Being merely ideal and fantaftical, or he would be an Image 8r a Statue. To this I could only anfwer, that it was a Paradox and Madnefs to believe, that Man is Life from himfelf, and that Wifdom and Prudence do not flow from God, but that they are in Man, confequently alfo the Good which is of Charity, and the True which is of Faith ; for any one to attribute thefe to himfelf, is called Infanity by every wife Man, and therefore is alfo a Paradox ; and moreover Perfons fo doing, are like thofe who dv/eil in the Houfe and Eftate of another, and when they are in PoffeiTion thereof, perfuade them- felves that they are their own ; or like Agents and Stewards, who think all their Mailer's Property their own ; and like the Servants, to whom the Lord gave the Talents to trade with, in Cafe they had rendered no Account of them, but kept them as their own, and fo a6led as Thieves ; of fuch it may very juftly be faid, that they are infane, yea that they are empty Nothings, alfo that they are Ideahfts, becaufe they have no Good, which is the very EfTence of Life, in themfelves from the Lord, pnfequently neither have they any Truth ; where- fore 463 ANG3f:sic Wisdom concerning fore the fame are alfo called the Dead, and likewife Nothing, and Emptinefs, liaiah xl. 17, 23^ and m other Places, Maimers of Images, idols, and Statues. But of this more belovv^ in the following Order. 4,.' Wliat felf.derived Prudence is^ and what that Prudence which is not felf^ derived. 2. That Man from feif-derived Prudence perfuades himfelf an4 confirms himfelf in the Idea, that every Good and Truth is from himfelf, and. in himfelf, and in likq Manner every evil and falfe Principle. 3. That every Thing, of which a Man is perfuaded, and in which he confirms himfelf, remains as his Proprium^ Of j^s proper to him. 4. That if Man would believe Aviiat is the Truth, that every Thing good and true is from the Lord, and every Thing evil and falfe from Hell? he would neither appropriate to himfelf Good and make it meritorious, [that is^ impute the Merit of it to himfelf,] nor would he appropriate to himfelf Evil, and make himfelf guilty of it, and g,ccountable for it. 310. I. What f elf 'derived Prudence is^ and ivhat thai Prudence which is not felf-'deiived. They are in felf-derived Prudence, who confirm Appearances in themfelves, and make them Truths, efpecially this Appearance, th^t felf-derived Prudence is All, and the Divine Providence Nothing, but fome general Kind of Things which neverthelefs cannot exifl without Particulars of which it mufl confift, as was ^lewn ^bove : They are alfo in Fallacies, for every Appearance confirmed as a Truth becomes a Falla- cy ; and in Proportion as they confirm themfelves from Fallacies, in the fame Proportion they become Naturalifts, and in the fame Proportion they believe Nothing ^The Divine PROViDE:tsrct. 465 Nothing but what they can at the fame Time per- ceive with fome of the bodily Senfcs, efpecially the. Sight, becaufe this principally afts as one with Thought ; fifch Perfons at lad become fenfual ; and if they confirm themfelves in Favour of Nature againfl God, they clofe the Interiors of their Mindj and interpo^^ a Veil, as it were, and afterwards think what is under the Veil, arid not any Thing that is above it : Thefe Senfualilts were called by the Ancients, Serpents of the Tree of Knowledge j Of thefe it is faid in the fpiritual World, that as they confirm themfelves, they clofe the Interiors of their Minds, at length even unto the Nofe, for the Nofe fignifies Perception of Truth, and in this In- ftance as clofed it fignifies no Perception at alL Their Charafter Ihall now be defcribed j they are more cunning and crafty than others, and are alfo ingenious Reafoners, and Cunning and Craftinefs they call Intelligence and Wifdom, neither do they know any 'other ; Thofe who are not of this De- fcription^ they confider as fimple and flupid, efpeci- ally the Worfhippers. of God, and Confeflbrs of the Divine Providence : With Refped to the interior Principles of their Minds, of which they themfelves know very little, they are like thofe who are Machi- avelifts, who make no Account of Murders, Adulte- ries, Thefts, and falfe Teftimony, confidered in themfelves, and if they reafon againfl them, it is only from Motives of Prudence, that they may not appear to be what they really are. Of the Life of Man in this World, they only think that it is like the Life of a Bead ; and of the Life of Man after Death, that it is like a vital Vapour, which rifing from 464 Angelic Wisdom coNCERNfNc^ from the Corpfe or Grave, relapfes again, and fo dies : From this Madnefs came the Idea that Spirits and Angels are Air^ and among thofe who are en- joined to believe in Life everlalling, that th^ Souls of Men are the fame, and therefore that they neither fee, hear, nor fpeak^ confequently that they are blind, deaf, and dumb, and that they only think in their Particle of Air ; for they fay, how can the Soul be any Thing elfe ? Did not the external Sen- fes die with the Body^ and how can they receive them again before the Soul is reunited to the Body ? And becaufe they could ha,ve no other than a fen- fual and not a fpiritual Idea of the State of the Soul after Death, they elbbliflied this, otherwife the Belief of^an everlafting Life would have perifhed. More efpecially they conhrm in themfelves Self- Love, calling it the Fire of Life, and an Incitement to various Ufes in Society ; and forafmuch as they are of this Defcription, they are the Idols of them* felves, and their Thoughts, being Fallacies from Fallacies, are Images of v/hat is Falfe : And foraf- much as they favour the Delights of Concupifcences, they are Satans and Devils ; they are called Satans, who confirm in themfelves the Concupifcences of Evil, and they are called Devils who live according to them. It hath alfo been given to know the Na- ture of the moil cunning Sort of fenfual Men ; they have a deep Hell behind, and wifh to be invifible, wherefore they appear hovering about there like Spedres, which are their Phantafies, and they are called Genii : Some of them were fent once from that Hell, that I might know the Nature of them ; they immediately applied themfelves to the back Part The Divine Providence. 465 Part of my Neck under the Occiput, and thence entered into my Aficjflions, 'not choofmg to enter into my Thoughts, which they dexteroufly avoided, and they varied my Atfe^llons one aftei" another, with a* Defign of bending them infenfibly into their Oppofites, which are Concupifcences of Evil, and forafmuch as they did not m the lead meddle with my Thoughts, they would have inflected and invert- ed my Affections, without my Knowledge, if the Lord had not prevented. They become fuch, who in the World do nqt believe there is any fuch Thing as a Divine Providence, and fearch for Nothing in. others but their Cupidities and Defires, and fo lead them till they acquire a perfect Afcendency over them ; and forahnuch as they do this fo clandef- tinely and cunningly, that the others do not know- it, and as after Death they are like themfelves, therefore immediately after their Arrival in the fpi- ritual World, they are cafl in^o that Hell ; when feen in the Light of Heaven, they appear without any Nofe, and what is w^onderful, although they are fo cunning, yet they are more fenfual than oth- ers. Forafmuch as the Ancients called the fenfual Man a Serpent, and fuch a Man is a more cunning and crafty Reafoner than others, therefore it is faid, " That the Serpent ivas move fuhill than any Beaji of the Fields'' Gen. iii. 1 : And the Lord faith, " Be ye iL'ife as Serpents^ and karmlcfs as Doves ^^' Matth. x. 16 ; and moreover the Dragon, who is alfo called the old Serpent, the Devil, and Satan, is defcribed as *^' having feven Heads ^ and ten Horns ^ and /even Crowns vpon his Heads ^' Apoc. xii. 3, 9 : By fcven Heads 13 f^gni^ed Craftinefs, by ten Horns is figni- L L 1 fied 466 Angelic Wisdom concerning fied the Power of perfuading by Fallacies, and by feven Crowns are fignlfied the holy Things of the Word and of the Church profaned. 311. From this Defcription of felf-derived Pru- dence, and of thofe who are in it, may be feeivwhat is the Nature of that Prudence which is not felt- derived, and what Kind of Perf^ns they are who are in it, namely, that Prudence which is net felf- derived is fuch Prudence as is in thofe, who do not confirm in themfelves the Idea, that intelli- gence and Wifdom are fipm I\Ian, faying, hov/ can a Man have Wifdom from himfelf, and how can a Man do Good from himfelf; and when they fay this, they fee that it is fo, i'ov they think interiorly, and alfo believe that others thiiik in the fame Man- ner, eipecially the Learned, becaufe they do not know that any one can think only exteriorly. They are not in Fallacies by Means of any Coniir- mations of Appearances, wherefore they know and perceive that Murders, Adulteries, Thefts, and falfe Teftimony, are Sins, and for that -Reafon, they fhun them ; alfo that Malice is not Wifdom, and that Craftinefs is not Intelligence ; when they hear ingenious Rcafonings founded in Fallacies, they wonder and fmile within themfelves ; the Reafon is, becaufe in them there is no Veil bel'.veen the in- teriors and Exteriors, or between the fpiritual and natural Things of the Mind, as there is in the Sen- fual ; wherefore they receive Infiux from TIeaven, whereby they fee fuch Things interiorly. They fpeak with more. Simplicity and Sincerity than oth- ers, ?Ss^d place Wifdom in living wtH, and not in fpeaking well ; they are comparatively like Lambs The Divine Providence. 467 Lambs and Sheep, when they who are in felf-de- rived Prudence, arc like Wolves and Foxes ; and they are like thole who dwell in a Houfe, and through its Windows fee the Heavens, whereas they who are in lejf-derived Prudence, are like thole who dwell in a Cellar, and through their Windows fee Nothing bat what is under Ground ; and they are like thole w^ho (land upon a Moun- tain, and fee fuch as are in fcl ('-derived Prudence wandering below in Vallies and in Woods. Hence it may appear that Prudence, which is not felf-de* rived, is Prudence from the Lord, fimilar as to its Appearance in Externals to felf-derived Prudence, but totally different in Internals ; in Internals Pru- dence which is not felf-deiived appears in the fpir^ itual World like a Man or Being truly human, but felf-derived Prudence like an Image appearing to have Life from this Circumflance only, that they who are in it, have fiill Rationality and Liberty, or a Faculty of underilanding and willing, and thence of fpeaking and a6ling ; and that by Means of thefe Faculties they alfo can fmiulate human Beings, or feign themfeives Men : The Reafon why they are fuch Ima^-^es, is, becaufe Evils and Falfes are not alive, but only Goods and Truths, and forafmuch as they know this by Means of their. Rationality, (for if they did not know it, they would not pre- tend to fuch Thin'js) therefore they poffefs human Vitality {JHtak bumamim'] in their Imager. W^ho doth not knov/, that the Quality of a Man is de- termined by what he is interiorly, confequently that he is a real Man, who is interiorly fuch as he wifheth to feeni exteriorly, and that he is an Image [Simidacbrum~\ 468 Angelic Wisdom concerning \_Simnlachrum'] or Counterfeit, who is only a Man extericriy, and not interiorly ; think as you ipeak in Favour of God, of Religion, and of Julfice and Sincerity, and you will be a Man, and then the Divine Providence will be your Prudence, and you will difcern in others that felf-derived Prudence is Infanity. 312. II. That Man from feJf -derived Frudence. pcrfiiades himfelf^ and confirms in hinifelf the Idea^ that every Good and Truth is in J/wifelf and from himfef^ and in like Manner every evil ajidfalfe Prin- ciple, Inftitute an Argumentation or Courfe of Reafoning by Analogy betv^een natural Good and Truth, and fpiritual Good and Truth : Inquire firfl; what is true and good in the Sight of the Eye ; is not that true therein which is called beautiful, and that good therein which is called delightful ? for Delight is felt from feeing beautiful Objects. Inquire next what is true and good in the Senfe of Hearing ; is'^not that true therein v^hich is called harmonious, and that good therein which is called fwcet and pleafant ? for Sv/eetnefs or Fieafure is felt from hearing harmonious Sounds. It is the fame with the other Senfes ; hence it is evident what natural Truth and Good are ; Conlkler now what fpiritual Truth and Good are ; is fpiritual Truth any Thing elfe but the Beauty and Harmo- ny of fpiritual Things and Objeds ? and is fpiritual Good any Thing t\^t but the Delight and Fieaf- ure arifmg from a Perception of their Beauty or Harmony l Let us now fee, whether any Thing can be aiferted of the one which is not true of the C>ther, or of what is natural which is not true of what The Divine Providence. 469 what is fpiritual;. of what is natural it is fald, that what is beautiful and dehghtful to the Kye flows from external Objccls, and what is harmonious and fweet to the Ear flows from Inftruments ; in what Refpecl is the Cafe dill'erent with the organic Sub- ftances of the Mind ? It is faid of the latter, that thofe Things (viz. Beauty and DeHght) are in them, and of the former, [natural Organs] that they flow into them [or as we fay in Enghih, ini- prefs them j] but if it be aflied why it is faid that they flow in, or enter by Influx, no other Anfwer can be given, than that it is fo, becaufe there ap- pears a Diftance between the Organ of Senfe and that which imprefles or flows into it ; and if it be aflvcd, why in the other Inftance, it is faid of fpir- itual Objeds, that they are in the Mind and its organized Subilances ; no other Anfwer can be given, than that it is fo, becaufe there doth not appear any Diilance between them ; confequently that it is the Appearance of Diftance which caufeth a different Notion to take Place refpeding the Things which a Man thinks and perceives, and the Things which he fees and hears : But this falls to the Ground, when it is known that the Spiritual Principle doth not exiO: in Din:ance as the Natural does ; think of the Sun and Moon, or of Rome and Conflantinople j do they not exiit in Thought without Diflance, provided fuch Thought be not connected with Experience acquired by Sight or by Hearing ? Why then do you perfuade yourfclf, becaufe Diftance does not appear in Thought, that Good and Truth, as alfo Evil and the Falfe Frinci^ pie exift there, and do act enter by Influx ? I'o 47© Angclic Wisdom concerning this I will add a Fad known by Experience, and which is common in the fpiritual World ; one Spirit can infufe his Thoughts and Affections into another Spirit, without the other's knowing,' but that the fame is of his own Thought and Affedion j this is called in that World thinking from another, and thinking in another ; I have feen this done a thou* fand Times, and have alfo done it an hundred Times myfelf ; and yet the Appearance of Didance was con- fiderable; but as foon as they knew that it was another whoinfufed thofe Thoughts and Affedions, they were angry, and turned themfelves away, acknowledging neverthelefs that Diilance doih not appear in the internal Sight or Thought, unlefs it be difcovered, as it doth in the external Sight or Eye, and that hence it is, that it is thought to enter into the latteif by Influx* To this Fad I can add my own daily Experience ; evil Spirits have often injeded Evils and Falfes into my Thoughts, which appeared to me as if they v^^ere in myfelf, and from myfelf, or as if 1 thought them myfelf ; but forafmuch as i knew that they were Evils and Falfes, I endeavour- ed to fmd out w^ho injeded them, and they were deteded and driven away, and they were at a con- liderable Difcance from me. ^ Hence it may appear ■ that all Evil with its falfe Principle flows from Hell, and that all Good with its Truth flows from the Lord, and that they boih appear as if they w^ere in Man. 313. The Nature and Quality of thofe who are in felf-derived Prudence, and of thofe who are in Prudence not felf-derived, and who arc thence in the Divine Providence, is defcribed in the Word 3 by The Divine Providence. 471 by Adam and his Wife Eve in the Garden of Eden, where there were two Trees, the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and by their eating of the latter ; that by Adam and his Wife Eve, in the internal or fpiritual Senfe, is meant and defcribed the Lord's molt ancient Church upon this Earth, which was more noble and celeflial than any that fucceeded it, may be feen above, n. 241 ; by the refl is fignified as follows ; by the Garden of Eden is fignified the Wifdom of ^he Men of that Church ; by the Tree of Life, the Lord with Re- fpect to his Divine Providence ; and by the Tree of Knowledge, Man with Refpecl to his felf-derived Prudence ; by the Serpent, the-Senfuality and Pro- priety (or Proprium) of Man, which in itfelf is Self* Love, and the Pride cf his own Intelligence, confe- quently the Devil and Satan ; by eating of the Tree of Knowledge, the Appropriation of Good and Truth, as if they were not from the Lord and con- fequently of the Lord, but from Man himfcif and confequently of Man, that is, his own ; and foraf- •much as Good and Truth are Things really Divine in Man, for by Good is meant the whole of Love^ and by Truth the whole of Wifdom, therefore if Man claims them to himfelf as his own, he cannot but think himfelf like a God, wherefore the Serpent faid, " In ihe Day that ye eat thereof^ then your Eyes JJnall be opened^ and yc Jhall be as God^ kncKuing Good and E^jH^'' Gen. iii. 5 ; fo alfo do they think who are in Self-Love, and thence in the Pride of felf- derived Intelligence in Hell ; by the Condemnation of the Serpent is 0;^^nified the Condemnation of Man's ov/n proper Love and proper Intelligence j bv 47^ Angelic Wisdom concerning by the Condemnation of Eve the Condemnation of the voluntary Propriuin [or Will. proper to Man J and by the Condemnation of Adam the Condemna* tion of the intelledual Proprium [or Underflanding proper to Man Q by Thorns and Thiftles, which the Earth ihail bring forth, is fignified mere Falfe- hood and Evil ; by their being caft out of the Gar- den is llgnificd Deprivation of Wifdom ; by the guarding of the Way to the Tree of Life, the Lord's provident Care to proted: the holy Things of the Word and of the Church from Violation ; by the Fig Leaves wherewith they covered their Naked- nefs, are fignified moral Truths, under which were concealed the Things appertaining to their Love and Pride ; and by the Coats of Skins, with which they W'cre afterwards cloathed, are fignified Appear- ances of Truth, in which alone they were princi- pled. This is the fpiritual Meaning of thofe Things. But he v/ho choofes, may remain in the literal Senfe, only let him know that it is fo undcrftood in Heaven. 314. What Sort of Perfons they are, who are in- fatuated by felf-derived Intelligence, may appear from their Imaginations in Matters of interior Judgment ; as for Example, concerning Infiux, Thought, and Life. Concerning Influx, they think inverfely, as that the Sight of the Eye flows into the inte/nai Sig^ht of the Mind*, which is the Underibnding, and that the Hearing of the Ear flows into the internal Hearing, which is alfo the Underftandi.nir ; and they do not perceive, that the Ilnderllandinp' from the Will flow:, into the Eye, and into the Ear, and not only conftitutes thofe The Divine Providence. 473 Senfes, but alfo ufes them as its Inftruments in the natural World : But becaufe this is not according to Appearance, they do not perceive it ; only if it be affirmed that what is Natural doth not flow in- to what is Spiritual, but what is Spiritual into what is Natural, i^ill they think, What is that which is Spiritual but Somewhat more purely Natural ? Moreover, doth it not appear, that when the Eye fees any beautiful Object, or the Ear h-ears any harmonious Sounds the Mind, uhich is the Un* derflanding and Will, is delighted, not knowing that the Eye doth not fee from itfelf, nor the Tongue tafte from itfelf, nor the^Nofe fmell from itfelf, nor the Skin feel from itfelf,- but that it is the Mind or Spirit of Man, which there perceives fuch Things by the Senfe, and thence is afFc(Sted accord- ing to the Quality of the Senfe ; but (till that the Mind or Spirit oif Man does not feel them from itfelf, but from the Lord ; and that to think other- wife, is to think fi-om Appearances, and if it be eon- firmed ^ from Fallacies. Concerning Thought, they fay, that it is Somewhat modified in the Air, varied according to its Objeds, and enlarged in Pro- portion as it is cultivated ; therefore, that Ideas of Thought are Images, like Meteors appearing in the Air ; and that the Memory is a Table upon which they are imprefied ; not knowing that Thoughts exifl: alike in Subftances purely organic, as the Sight and Hearing do in their's : Let them only look into the Brain, and they will fee that it is full of fuch Subftances ; injure them, and you will bring on a Delirium ; defiroy them, and you will die : But what Thought is, and alfo what Memory M ]\i m i^ 474 Angelic Wisdom concerning is, may be feen above, n. 279, towards the End. Concerning Life, they know no other, than that it is a certain Aclivity of Nature, W'hich caufeth itfelf to be felt diverfely, as the hving Body moves itfelf organically : If it be alleged, that if this be the Cafe, Nature lives ; this they deny, hnt mamtain that Nature giveth Life : If you fay, is not Life then dillipated when the Body dies ? they anfwer, that Life remains in a Particle of Air which is called the Soul : If you fay, what then is God, is not Lie Life itfelf? Here they are filent, and will not declare what they think : If you fay, will you not acknowl- edge that the Divine Love and the Divine Wifdoni Tire Life itfelf? ihey anfwer, what is Love, and what is Wifdom ? For in their Fallacies they do not fee v/hat Love and Wifdom are, nor what God is. Thefe Obfervations are adduced, that it may be feen how Man is infatuated by felf-derived Pra^lence, be- caufe he draws all his Conclafions from Appear- ances, and thereby from Fallacies. 316. The Reafon why felf-deiived Prudence perfuades and confirms the Idea, that every Good and Truth is from Man and in Man, is, becaufe felf-derived Prudence is the intelledual Propriun\ of Man flowing from Self-Love, which is the vol* untary Proprium of Man, and that which is his Proprium cannot do otherwife than make all Things his own ; for it cannot be elevated by him : All who are led by the Divine Providence of the Lord, are elevated above iheir Proprium, and then they fee that all Good and Truth are from the Lord ; yea they fee alfo, that that which is from the Lord in Man, is perpetually of the Lord, and never The Divine Providence. 475 never of Man. He who thinks otherwife, is like one who hath Goods of his Mailer depofited in his Hands, and lays Claim to them, or appropriates them to himfclf as his own, who is therefore not a Steward, but a Thief; and forafnmch as the Proprium of Man is Nothing but Evil, therefore he alfo immerfes them into his Evil, whereby they will be confumed, like Peails caft into Dui:g, or diifolv- ed in Acids. 317. III. Tbat every Thing, of ivhich a Man is per- fnadvd, and in which he is cojifirnied, retnains as if prop- er to him^ or becomes his Proprium or Property, It is thought by many, that no Truth can be feen by Man, except from Things conhrmed ; but this is falfe : In Things wliich relate to the civil Government and CEconomy of a Kingdom or State, what is ufeful and good cannot be feen, unlefs fevcral of the Stat- utes and Ordinances therein be known ; nor in Matters of a judicial Nature, unlefs Laws be known j nor in natural Things, as in Fhyfics,, Chemidry, Anatomy, Mechanics, and the like, unlefs a Pviaa be inftructed in Sciences j but in Things purely of a rational, moral, and fpiritual Nature, Truths ap- pear merely from their own Light, provided a Man, Jpy Means of a good Education, be made in fome Degree rational, moral, and fpiritual : The Reafon is, becnufe every Man, with Refpecc to his Spirit, which it is that thinks, is in the fpiiitua] World, and is one among thofe who live there, confequent- ly is in fpiritual Light, which illuminates the Inte- riors of his Underiianding, and as it were diccates ; for fpiritual Lii>;ht in iis KlVence is the Divine Truth of the Lord's^ Divine Wifdom : Hence Tvlan hath Povrer 476 Angelic Wisdom concerning Power to think analytically, to form Conclufions concerning Juflice and Reclitude in Judgments, and to fee Honeily in moral Life, and Good in fpiritual Life ; and likewife many 1 ruths, which do not fall into Darknefs, except by the Confirmation of Falfes; Thefe Things Man fees comparatively juil: as he fees the Mind of another in his Face, and perceives his Affedions from the Sound of his Voice, without any other Knowledge, than what is inherent in every one : Why fhould not Man fee the Interiors of his Life which are fpiritual and moral, by Influx, in a certain Degree, when there is no Animal which doth not know its Neceffaries, which are natural, by In^ flux ? Birds know how to make their Nefts, lay their Eggs, hatch their young, and choofe their Food ; befides other wonderful Things, which are called Inftintl. 318. But how the State of Pvlan is changed by Confirmations and confequent Perfuafions, fhall now be ffiewn in the following Order, i. That there is Nothing but Vv'hat may be confirmed, and the Falfe more eafily than the Truth. 2, That when the Falfe is confirmed. Truth does not appear ; but that from confirmed Truth, the Falfe does appear, o,. That to be able to confirm whatloever a Mail pleafes, is not Intelligence, but only Ingenuity, which may take Place even in the mcft wicked. 4. That there may be intelledual Confirmation, and not at the fame Time voluntary ; but that all voluntary Confirmation is alfo intelledual. 5. That the vol- untary and at the fam.e lime intelledual Confirma- tion of Evil, caufeth Man to think that his own Pru- dence is all, and the Divine Providence Nothing ^ but The Divine Providence. 477 but not the Intelleftual Confirmation tber("of alone. 6. That every Thmg confirmed by the Will, and at the lame Time by the Underfianding, remains to Eternity ; but not that which is only confirmed by the Underitanding. With Refpedl to the First : That there is Nothing but what may he confirmed^ and the Falfe more eafdy than the Truth : What may not be confirmed, when it is confirmed by Atheiils, that God is not the Creator of the Univerie, but that Nature is the Creator of herfelf ; that ReHgion is only an external Means of Reftraint, and calculated for the fimple and the vulgar ; that Man is like a Beaft, and that he dies in hke Manner ? What may not be confirmed, when it is confirmed that Adul- teries are allowable, as aifo , clandeftine Thefts, Frauds, and deceitful Arts ; that Cumiing is In- telligence, and Malice Wifdom ? Who doth not confirm his own Herefy ? Are there not Volumes full of Confirmations in Favour of tli^e two reigning Herefies in the Chriiliau World ? Efiablidi ten Herefies even of an abfirufe Nature, and tell an in- genious Perfon to confirm them, and he will con- firm them all : If you afterwards view them only from their Confirmations, will you not fee Falits as if they were Truths ? Inafmuch as every falfe Prin- ciple hath a lucid Appearance in the natural Man, arifing from his Appearances and Fallacies, which is not' the Cafe with Truth, except in the fpiritual Man, it is evident that the Falfe can be confirmed more eafily than the Truth. In Order that it may be known, that every falfe Principle and every Evil can be confirmed in fuch a Manner, tliat the falfe Principle may appear true, and the evil Principle good, 478 Angelic Wisdom concerning good, take the following Example ; let it be con- firmed, that Light is Darknefs, and Darknefs Light ; may it not be faid, What is Light in itfelf ? Is it any Thing but a certain Appearance in the Eye according to its State ? What is Light when the Eye is fhut ? Have not Bats and Owls fuch Eyes, that they fee Light as Darknefs, and Dark^ ncfs as Light ? I have heard fome Perfons fay, that they can fee in the fame Manner, and of the Infer-, nals I have heard, that although they are in Dark^ nefs, yet they fee one another ; do not Men fea Light at Midnight in their Dreams ? Is not Dark- nefs therefore Light, and Light Darknefs ? But it may be anfwered. What is this to the Purpofe ? Light is Light, as Truth is Truth ; and Darknefs is Darkr nefs, as what is Falfe is Falfe. Take another Ex^ ample ; let it be confirmed that a Raven is w^hite ; may it not be faid, his Blacknefs is only a Shade, ■which is not his real Colour ? his Feathers are in^ wardly white, and fo is his Body j thefe are the Subflances of which he confifls ; fmce his Blacknefs is only a Shade, therefore a Raven turns white when he grov/s old, and fome fuch have been feen ; what is Black in itfelf but White ? Grind black Glafs, and you will fee that the Powder is white ; therefore when you call a Raven black, you fpeak from the Shade and not from the Reality : But it may be anfwered, what is this to the Purpofe ? At this Rate it might be faid that all Birds are white. Thefe Cafes, although they are contrary to found Reafon, are adduced, to the End it may be feen, that Falfe* hood diametrically oppofite to Truth, and Evil dia^. pietrically oppofite to G004J, may be coniirmedj, Secondly ; The Divine Providence. 479 Secondly : That when the Falfe is confirmed^ Truth does not appear ; but that from confirmed Truths the Falfc does appear : All Falfe is in the Dark, and all Truth is in the Light, and in the Dark Nothing ap- pears, yea neither can it be known what it is, but by feeling it ; not fo in the Light ; wherefore alfo, in the Word, Falfes are called Darknefs, and thence they v;ho are in Falfes, are faid to walk in Darknefs and in the Shadow of Death ; and on the other Hand, Truths are there called Light, and thence they who are in Truths, are faid to walk in the Light, and are called the Children of Light. That when the Falfe is confirmed. Truth does not appear, and that from confirmed Truth, the Falfe docs ap- pear, is evident from many Confiderations ; as for Example, who would fee any fpiritual Truth if the Word did not teach it ? Would not thick Darknefs prevail, which could not be difpelled, but by the Light in which the Word is, and with fuch as defir- ed to be enlightened ? What Heretic can fee his own Falfes, except he admit the genuine Truth of the Church ? He does not fee them before : I have difcourfed with thofe, who have confirmed them- felves in Faith feparated from Charity, and when they were afked whether they faw fo many Things in the Word about Love and Charity, about Works and Actions, about keeping th(i Commandments, and that he is happy and wife who doeth them, and he is fooliih who doth not do them, they faid, that when they read thofe Things, they faw no otherwile than that they are Faith, and fo paffed them over, as it were with their Eyes fliut. They who have confirmed themfeives in Falfes, are like thofe who iiee 480 Angelic Wisdom concerning fee Images pictured on a Wall, and when they are in the Shade of Evening, thofe Pidures feem to them in their Phantafy like a Horfe or a Man, uhich vifionary Image is dilpelled by the influent Light of Day. Who can perceive the fpiritual Uncleannefs of Adultery, unlefs he is in the fpiritual Cleannefs of Chaflity ? Who can feel the Cruelty of Revenge, but he who is in Good arifmg from neighbourly Love r* What Adulterer, or v/hat revengeful Pcrfon, does not fneer at thofe, who call their Delights in- fernal, and on the other Hand the Delights of con- jugal and neighbourly Love celeftial, and fo on ? Thirdly : That to be able to confirm whatfoevcr a Man pleafes, is not Intelligence^ but only Ingenuity^ which may take Place even in the moji ivickea : "111 ere are fome very dexterous Coniirmers, who do not know any Truth, and yet can confirm both Truth and Falfehood ; and fome of them fay, what is Truth ? Is there any fuch Thing exifling ? Is not that Truth which I make true ? And neverthelefs ihele in the World are thought intelligent, and yet they are on- ly Plaiflerers of the Wall ; no others are intelligent, but they who perceive Truth to be Truth, and con- firm the fame fey Truths continually perceived ; thefe two Kinds of Men are noteafily diftinguilhed, becaufe it is not eafy to difiinguifli between the Lio-ht of Confirmation and the Lij^ht of the Percep- tion of Truth, neither doth it appear otherwife than that they who are in the Light of Confirmation, are alfo in the Light of the Perception of Truth, when neverthelefs the Differeuce is as great as between the Light of Infatuation and genuine Light; and the Light of Infatuation in the fpiritual W^orld is of fuch The Divine Providi^nce. 481 fuch a Nature, that it is turned into Darknefs when genuine Light flows in ; fucli infatuating Light have many in Hell, who, when they are admit Lv'!!! into genuine Light, fee Nothing at all ; from which it is evident, that to be able to confirm whatfoever a Man pleafes, is only Ingenuity, attainable even by the moft wicked. Fou rthly : Thai there may be in- tclleBual Confirmation^ and not at the fame Time volun- tary ; but that all voluntary Conjirmation is ai the fan:3 Time intellcdual : Take thefe Examples by Way of Illuftration ; they who confirm Faith feparate frorii Charit)'', and yet live a Life of Charity ; and in gen- eral they who confirm the Falfe of Do61:rine, and yet do not live according to it, are thofe who are in intellectual Confirmation, and not at the fame Time in voluntary Confirmation ; but they who confirm the Falfe of Doctrine, and live according to it, are thofe who are in voluntary and at the fame Time intelleclual Confirmation : The Reafon is, becaufe the Underftanding doth not flow into the Will, but the Will into the Underftanding. Hence alfo it is evident, what the Falfe of Evil is, and what the Falfe which is not of Evil ; the Reafon why the Falfe which is not of Evil can be conjoined with Good, but not the Fahe of Evil, is, becaufe the Falfe which is not of Evil is the- Falfe in the Un- derftanding and not in the Will, and the Falfe of Evil is the Falfe in the Underftanding from Evil in the Vv'ill. Fifthly : That the voluntary and at the fame Ti?ne intelleclual Confir?nai!on of Evil caufeth Man to think fe If- derived Prudence is J II, and the Divine Providence Nothing ; but not the intelledual Confrma- it on thereof alone. There are many who confirm tha N N n Efikacy 482 AnGLLIC AVlSDOM CONCERNING EfTicacy of felf- derived Prudence in themfelvcs from i\ppearances in the vVorld, but yet do not deny the Divine Providence; their's is only intellectual Con- lirination ; whereas fuch as deny at the fame Time the Divine Providence, their's is voluntary Confir- mation alfo ; but this lalt, together with Perfuafion, takes Place principally in thofe who are WorHnp- pers of Nature, and at the fame Time WorOiippcrs of themrdves. Sixthly ; That every Thing con- frmcd bj the WiH, and at thcja.me Time by the Under- Jl^ndh^i^ Is permanent to Eternity ; but not that ivhich is only coitfir?ned by the Unclcrjlanding; for that which is of the UnderlhrnJing only, is not in Man, but without him, inafmuch as it is only in his Thoaght, and Nothing enters into Man^ and is appropriated to him, but what is received by the Will, for this be- com.es of his Life's Love ; that this abideth to E- ternity, fhall be fhewn in the next Number. 319. The Reafcn why every Thing confnmed in the Will, and at the fame Time by the Underfland- inc^, abideth to Eternity, is, becaufe every one is his own Love, and his Love is of his Will ; alfo be- caufe every Man is his own Good or his own Evil, for all that is called Good which is of the Love, the fame with Rcfpect to Evi!. Forafm.uch as Man is his own Love, he is alfo the Form of his own Love, and may be called the Organ of his Life's Love. It was faid above, n. 279,- that the Aifec- rions of Man's Love and the Thoughts derived from them are Changes and Variations of the State and Form of the organic Subilances of his Mind, and it (l^iall now be fnevvn what the Nature and Qualily of thofc Changes is \ an Idea of them may be The Divine Providence. 4S3 be had from the Heart and Lungs, in that there are alternate Expavifions and Compreirions, or l)ilar:v tions and Contracllons, which in the Heart are called its Syftole and Diallolc, in the Lungs Refpirations ; v'hich arc reciprocal Extemlons and Retra^lions, or Diilenfions and Coarclations of its Lobes ; thcfe are the Changes and Variations of the State of the Heart ^nd Lungs : The like takes Place in the other Vifcera of the Body, and alfo in the Parts thereof, by which the Blood and animal Juices are rectived and circu- lated. There are alfo fimilar Changes and Variations of State in the organic Forms of the Mind, which are theSubjevSts of iVIan's Affeclions and Thoughts, as was (hewn above ; w^th this DitFerence, that the Expanfions and CompreiTions, or Reciprocations of the latter, are refpcdlvely in fo much greater Per- fection, that they cannot be exprelTed in Words of natural Language, but only in Vv'ords of fpirituaJ Language, which can only import, that tliey are vortical Ingyrations, and Egyrations, after the Man- ner of perpetual fpiral Circurnflexloiis, wonderfully confafciculated into FormrS receptive of Life. But the Nature of thefe purely organic Subilanccs and Forms in the Wicked and in the Good fhall now be explained ; with the Good they are fpirally con- voluted forwards, but wllh the Vv^icked backwards, and thofe which are fpirally convoluted forwards are turned to the Lord, and receive Inilux from him ; but thofe which are fpirally convoluted backwards, are turned towards H^ll, and receive Influx from thence : It is to be noted, that in Proportion as they are turned backwards, in the fame Proportion they arc open behind, und clofed before, but o:: the con- trary. 484 Angelic Wisdom coisTcerning trary, that in Proportion as they are turned forwards, in the fame Proportion they are open before, and clofed behind. Hence it may appear, what Kind of a Form, or what Kind of an Organ a wicked Man is, and what Kind of a Form, or what Kind of an Organ a good Man is, and that they are turned con- trarywife j and forafmuch as an Inverfion once in- duced cannot be retwifted, it is evident that fuch as it is when a Man dies, fuch it remains to Eternity : It is the Love of Man's Will, which makes this Turning, or which converts and inverts, for, as w^as faid above, every Man is his own Love ; hence it is, that every one after Death goeth in the Way of his Love ; he who is in good Love to Heaven, and he who is in evil Love to Hell, neither doth he reft till he is in that Society where his ruling Love is ; and what is wonderful, every one knows the Way, as though he fmelt it with his Nofc. 320. IV. That if Man would believe ^ ichich is the Truths that every Thing good and true is from the Lord^ and every Thing evil and faJfe is from HcU^ he "would neither appropriate Good to hinfelf and make it weritoricus^ nor would he appropriate to himfelf Evil^ and make himfelf ginlty of it. But forafmuch as thefe Things are contrary to the Behef of thofe, who have confirmed in themfelves the Appearance, that Wifdom and Prudence are from Man, and do not fiow^ in according to the State of the Mind's Organ- ization, treated of above, n. 319, therefore they flriall be demondrated ; and that it may be done diilinclly, the following Order (hall be obferved. i. That he who ^confirms in himfelf the Appearance, that Wifgom and Prudence are from Man and thence The Divine Providence. 4S5 tlience In hitn as his own, cannot fee other wife, than that if this were not the Cafe,, he would not be Man, but either a Beall or a Statue ; when never- thelefs the contrary is true. 2. That to believe and think,^ what is the Truth, that every Thing good and true is from the Lord, and that every Thing evil and falfe is from Hell, appears to be impofiible, when never thelefs it is truly human and thence an- gelic. 3. That fo to believe and think is impofTible to thofe, who do not acknowledge the Lord's Divin- ity, and who do not acknowledge Evils to be Sins ; but that it is pofTible to thofe, who acknowledge thofe two Things. 4. That they who are in the Acknowledgment of thefe two Things, only refled upon Evils in themfelves, and cad them out from themfelves, into Hell from whence they come, in Proportion as they il:un and hold them in Averfion as Sins. 5. That thus the Divine Providence nei- ther appropriates Evil nor Good to any one, but that felf-derived Prudence appropriates both. 321. But thefe Articles fliall be explained in the Order propofed. First: T/jat he \vbo confrr/is in h'mfelf the Appearance^ that Wifdoru and Prudence are from Man^ and thence in him as his own^ cannot fee oiherwife^ than that if this ivere not the Caf\ he vjoidd not be a Man, but either a Bcaji or a Statue ; when nevsrthelefs the contrary is true. It is a Law of the Divine Providence, that Man fhould think as from himfelf, and that he fhould adl prudently as from himfelf, but yet fhould acknowledge that he doeth fo from the Lord ; iience it follov^s, that he who thinks and acts prudently as from himielf, and at the fame Time acknowledges that he dncs l"o from 486 Angelic Wisdom cokcerking from the Lord, the fame Is a Man, but not he who confirms in himfelf an Idea, that all that he thinks and does is from himfelf; nor he, who, becaufe he knoweth that Wifdom and Prudence are from God, waits for Influx ; for the latter becomes like a Statue^ and the former like a Bead : That he who waits for Influx is hke a Statue, is evident ; for he muft (land or fit motionlefs, with his Hands han^-^- ing down, and his Eyes either fliut or wide open without Motion, neither thinking nor breathing ; and what Life in fuch Cafe is there in him ? That he who believes that all he thinks and does, is from himfelf, is not unhke a Beafl:, may alfo be evident ; for he thinks only from the natural Mind, which Man hath in common with Beads, and not from the rational fpiritual Mind, which is the Mind truly human ; for this latter Mind acknowledges, that God only thinks from himfelf, and that Man thinks from God ; vvherefore alfo Men of that Defcription [who think only from the natural Mind] know no Dif- ference between Man and Beafl^ except that a Man ijDeaks and a Beafl: utters Sounds, and imagine that they both die alike. Of thofe who wait for Influx, it may be expedient to obferve further, that they do not receive any Influx^ except a fev/ who from their Hearts defire it ; thefe fometimes receive fome Anfwer by Hvely Perception in Thought, or by tacit Speech therein, and rarely by any manifcfl; Speech, and then it is to this Effed, that they may think and -dO: as they will or as they can, and that he who ads wifely is a wife Man, and he who ads fooiiflily is a Fool ; and they are never infl.ruded what they ought to believe and what they ought to do ; and this The Divine Providence. 487 tills to the End that human Rationality and Liber- ty may not be deftroyed, which confifls in every one's ading from Free-Will according to Rcafon, to all Appearance as from himfelf. They who arc inftrud:ed by Influx what they ought to believe and to do, are not inihudL'd by the Lord, nor by any Angel of Heaven, but by fome Spirit of an Enthu- fiafl, Quaker, or Moravian, and are feduced. All Influx from the Lord is eileded by Illumination cf the Underftanding, and by the AfFedion of Truth, and by the Influx of the latter into the former. Secondly : That to believe and think what is the Truth^ thiit every Thing good and true is from the Lord J and that every Thing evil and falfe is from Hell^ appears to be inipo/Jtble ; when neverthelefs it is truly human and thence angelic. To beheve and think that every Thing good and true is from God, ap- pears pollible, provided Nothing further be faid ; the Reafon is, becaufe it is conforniable to theologi- cal Faith, againfl which it is not allowable to think ; but to believe and think that every Thing evil and falfe is from Hell, appears impoiTible, becaufe in this Cafe it would alfo be believed, that Mail could think Nothing ; neverthelefs Man thinks as from himfcif, although from Hell, becaufe it is the Gift of the Lord to every one, that Thought, whencei^oever it comes, may appear in him as his own, otherwife Man would not Kve as Man, neitiier could he be brought out cf Hell, and introduced into Heaven, that is to fay, reformed, as is abun- dantly ihev/n above : Wherefore alfo the Lord giv- eth Man to know, and thence to think, that he is in Hell if he is in Evil, and that he thinks from Hell if 488 Angelic Wisdom concerning if he thinks from Evil ; and moreover he cjiveth him to think of the Means whereby he may efcapa out of Hell, and not think from thence, but enter into Heaven and there think from the Lord ; raid he likewife giveth Man Freedom of Election ; 'from which Coniiderations it may be feen, that Man can think what is Evil and Falfe as from himfelf, and can alfo think that the one and the other is Evil and Falfe ; confequently that it is only an Appear- ance that it is from himfelf, without which Appear- ance Man would not be Man. The eifential hu- man Principle and thence the angelic confifts in thinkirfg from the Truth, and this is the Truth, that Man doth not think from himfeif, but that it is given him by the Lord to think, in all Appear- ance as from himfelf. Thirdly: That fo to believe and think Hs impoffihk to ihofe^ ivho do 7iGt acknowledge the LordJs Divinity^ and ivho do not achiowlcdge Evils to be Sins ; arid that it is pojjible to thofe zvho acknowledge thcfe two Things. The Reafon why it is impofiihle to thofj who do not acknowledge the Lord's Divininty, is, becaufe the Lord only giveth Man to think and will, and they who do not ac- knowledge the Lord's Divinity, being feparated from him, imagine that they think from themfelves : The Reafon why it is alfo impoffible to thofe who do not acknowledge that Evils are Sins, is, becaufe they think from Hell, and every one there fuppofcs that he thinks from himfelf. But that it is poUible to thof^ who acknowledge the Lord's Divinity, and that Evils are Sins, may appear from whzi hath been abundantly adduced above, n. 288 to 294. Fourthly : That they who are in the Acknozvledg- meni The DiviNlE Providence, 489 vient of thofe two Things^ only refieB upon Evils in themfdves^ and cajl them out into Hell from whence they come^ in Proportion as they jhuh and hold them in Avcrfion as Sins. Who doth not or may not know, that Evil is from Hell, and that Good is from Heaven ? And who may not thence knov/, that in Proportion as Man fliunneth and holdeth Evil in Averfion, in the fame Proportion he fhun- heth and holdeth Hell in Averfion ? And who may not thence know, that in Proportion as any one fhunneth and holdeth Evil in Averfion, in the fame Proportion he willeth and loveth Good, therefore that in the fame Proportion he is brought out of Hell by the Lord, and led to Heaven ? Thefe Things every rational Man may fee plainly, provided he knows that there is a Heaven and a Hell, and that Evil and Good have each their feparate Origin ; now if Man refleds upon Evils in himfelf, which is the fame Thing as to examine himfelf, and (hunneth them, then he difengageth himfelf from Hell, and cafteth it behind him, and introduceth himfelf into Heaven, and there feeth the Lord Face to Face ; it is faid that Man doeth this, but he only docth it feemingly from himfelf, and therefore from the Lord. When Man acknowledgeih this Truth from a good Heart and pious Faith, then it lieth in- wardly concealed in every Thing that he thinketh and doeth afterwards as from himfelf, like the pro- lific [Qi^ality] in Seed, which internally accompa- nies it even until the Produdion of new Seed ; and like the Pleafure of Appetite for that Food which a Man hath once found to be falutary ; in a Word, it is like the Heart and Soul in every Tiling that he X) o 0 thinketh 4§o Angelic Wisdom ccncer^in^ thinketh and doeth. Fifthly : Tbai thus the Divine Providence neither appropriates Evil nor Good to any one J but that Jlif-derived Prudence appropriates both : This follows as a Confequence of all that hath been jTaid : The End of the Divine Providence is Good ; this therefore k intendeth in every Operation ; ■wherefore it doth not appropriate Good to any one, for thereby fuch Good would become meritorious ; neither doth it appropriate Evil to any one, for thereby it would make him gnilty of Evil : Never- thelefs Man doeth both from his Proprium, becaufe that is Nothing but Evil ; the Proprium of his Will is Self-Love, and the Proprium of his Un- derftanding is the Pride of felf-derived Intelligence^ and from the latter proceeds felf-derived Prudence, That every Man viay be reformed^ and that there is no fuch Thing as Predef tination* 322. O OUND Reafon dilates that AH are pre- ^^ deftined to Pleaven, and none to Hell ; for all are born Men, and thence the Image of God is in them ; the Image of God in them confifts in their being able to uhderfland Truth, and to do Good ; to be able to underiland Truth is from the Divine Wifdom, and 10 be able to do Good is from the Divine Love ; this Power is the Image of God, which abideth in a Man of found Mind, and is not eradicated ; hence it is, that he can be made .a civil and The Divine Providence. 491 ^nd moral Man, and he who is a civil and moral Man, the lame can alio be made fpiritual, for what is civil and moral is the Receptacle of what is fpirit- Vial ; he is called a civil Man, who kiioweth the I.aws of his Kingdom whereof he is a Citizen, and Jiveth according to them ; and he is called a moral Man, who maketh thofe Laws his Mor^^ls, and his Virtues, and liveth conformably to them from Rea- fon. I will now fell you how civil and moral Life is a Receptacle of fpiritual Life ; live according to thofe Laws not only conndered as civil and Xnoral Law^, but alfo as Divine Laws, and you will be a fpiritual Man. There fcarcely exids a Natioa fo barbarous, as not to have given the Sandion of its Laws to the Prohibition againil: committing Murder, corrupting the Wife of at:other, itealingj falfe Teftimony, and the Violation of whatever be- longs to another ; thefe Laws the civil and moral Man obferves, in Order that he may be, or feem to be, a good Citizen ; but if he doth not at the fame Time confider thefe Laws as Divine, he is only ^ ^ivil and moral natural Man, whereas if he conhders them as Divine, he becomes a civil and moral fpirii- ual Man ; the Difference is, that the latter is not only a good Citizen of an earthly Kingdom, but alfo a good Citizen of the heavenly Kingdom,, '\yhereas the former is a good Citizen of an earthly Kingdom, but not of the heavenly Kingdom : The Goods which they do, diih'nguiili them ; the Goods ^yhich civil and moral natural Men do, are not Qoods in themfelves, for the Man and the World ^s in them; whereas the Goods, which civil and moral fpiritual Men do, are m ihemfelves Goods,, becaufe 49^ Angelic Wisdom concirning becaiife the Lord and Heaven is in them. Hence it is. evident that every Man, fmce he is born fuch that he can be made a civil and moral natural Man, is alfo born fuch as that he can be made a civil and moral fpiritual Man 5 it is only acknowledging God, and not doIngEvils becauie they are inOppofition to God, but doing Good becaufe it is in Favour of God ; hereby. Spirit entercth into Man's civil and moral Aftions, and they receive Life ; but without it, there is no Spirit in them, and therefore they have no Life ; where- fore the natural Man, however civilly and morally he may a<5t, is called dead, but the fpiritual; Man is called alive. It is of the Divine Providence of the Lord, that every Nation hath fome Religion, and the Foundation of all Religion is an Acknowledg- ment that ther»^ is a God, for otherwife it is not called a Religion ; and every Nation, which lives, according to its Religion, that is, which doth not da Evil becaufe it is agajnft its God, receiveth Some- thing fpiritual into, its natural Principle. What Perfon, when he heareth any Gentile fay, he wil\ not do this or that becaufe it is againfi: his G.od^ doth not fay within himfelf, Will not this Man be faved ? it appears as if it could not be otherwife ; this found Reafon di^lares to himo And on the. other Hand, what Perfon, when he heareth a Chrif- tian fay, 1 make no Account of this or that Evil, what doth it fignify its being faid to be againfi God, doth not fay within himfelf, Can this Man be faved ? it appears aa if he coiikl not j this alfo found Rea- fon didates : If he faith, I was born a Chriftian, baptized, knov/ the Lord, have read the Word, received the Sacrament ; do thefe Things avail any • Things v/hen he brr^athes Murder, or Revenge lead- ing: The Divjne Providence. 493 {ng to Murder, and doth not confider as Sins, AduU tery, fecret Theft, falfe Teilimony, or Lies, and va- rious Violences ; doth Rich a one think any Thing of God or of Life eternal ? Doth he think that they have any Exiflence ? Doth not found Reafou didate, that fuch a one cannot be faved ? Thefe Things are faid of the Chriftian, becaufe the Gentib thinks more of God from Rehgion in his Life than the Chriftian doth. But of this more fhall be faid telow in the following Order. i. That the End of Creation is a Heaven out of the human Race. 2. That thence it is of the Divine Providence, that ^very Man is capable of being faved, a,nd that they are (aved, who acknowledge a God and lead a good I^ife. 3. That it is a Man's own Fault, if he is not faved. 4. That thus all ^re predeftined to Heaven, and none to Hell. 2,2 7^, L T/mt the End of Creation is a Heaven oid qfthe humayi Race, That Heaven doth not confid pf any others, than fuch as weience. 499 Lord and Heaven, and alfo itfelf and the World, but God and Heaven as fuperior, principal, and governing, and Self and the World as inferior, in- ilrumental, and fubfervient. Fourthly : That the Div'me Love cannot do otherwife than will it^ and that the Divine W'lfdom cannot do otherwife than pro- vide for it : That the Divine Eflence is Divine Love and Divine Wifdom, was fully fnewn in the Trea- tife concerning The Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom ; it is alfo demonftrated there, n. 358 to 370, that in every hujiian Embryo the Lord foimeth two Receptack;^, one of the Divine Love and the other of the Divine Wifdom, the Receptacle of Di- vine Love for the future Will of Man, and the Re- ceptacle of Divine Wifdom for his future Under- ftanding ; and that thus he hath endued every Man with a Faculty of willing GoOd, and a Faculty of un- derftanding Truth. Now forafmuch as th?fe two Fac*- uhiesofMan are given himfrom hisBirthby theLcrd, and thence the Lord is in them, as in his own in Man, it is evident that his Divine Love cannot will other- wife, than that Man (hould go to fleaven, and there enjoy eternal Beatitude ; and alfo that his Divine Wildom cannot do otherwife than provide for it. But forafmuch as it is of his Divine Love, that Man fliould feel heavenly Beatitude in himfelf as his own, and this cannot be done, unlefs Man is per- fectly kept in the Appearance, that he thinks, wills, fpeaks, and ads from himfelf, therefore he cannot lead Man any otherwife than according to the Laws of his Divine Providence. 325. II. That t'bencc it is of the Divine Providence that every Man is capable of being faved, a?id that they are 500 Angelic Wisdom coNCERNi:&Ta arefavedwho acknowledge a God., and lead a good Lifi^* That every one is capable of being faved, is evi- dent from what hath been demonftrated abovco Some are of Opinion, that the Church of the Lord 18 only in the Chriilian World, becaufe the Lord is only known there, and the Word is there only \ but yet there are many who believe, that the Church of God is common, or extended and fpread over the ■whole Earth, confequently among thofe iikewife who are ignorant of the Lord, and have not the Word ; urging, that this is not their Fault, and that there IS no Help for their Ignorance j and that it is not confiftent vi'Ith the Love and Mercy of the Lord, that any one fliould be born for Hell, when never- thelefs they are equally Men as well as others. Now forafmuch as there is a BeUef among Chrillians, if not among all, yet among many, that the Church is common, which alfo is called a Communion, it follows, that there are fome very common or general [EfTentiais} of the Church, which are Ingredients in all Religions, and conflitute that Communion : That thefe mod common or general [EiTentiaisj are the Acknowledgment of a God, and Good, of Life, will be feen in the following Order. I. That the Acknowledgment of a God caufeth a Conjundion of God with Man, and of Man with God, and that the Negation of a God caufeth a Disjundion. s. That every one acknowledgeth God, and is joined unto him, according to the Good of his Life. 3. That the Good of Life, or to live well, is to fliun Evils becaufe they are contrary to^ "• Religion, therefore againft God. 4. That thefe are The Divine Providence. 50? are the common [Eflentials] of all Religions, by "which every one may be faved. 326. But thefe Propofitions are to be viewed and demonftrated feparately. I. That the Acknowledge nicnt of aGod caiifcth a Conjimdion of God with Mariy and of Man with God^ and that the Denial of a God caufeth a DisjunBion, Some may think, that they can alike be faved who do not acknowledge a God, as they who do, provided they lead a moral Life ; faying, what does Acknowledgment fignify ? Doe^ it not confift in Thought only ? Cannot 1 eafily ac- knowledge, when I know for certain, that there is a God ? I have heard of Him, but I never faw Him ; let me fee Him, and I will beheve. Such is the l^anguage of many who deny God, when it is permitted them to reafon freely with one who ac- knowiedgeth God. But that the Acknowledgment of a God conjoins, and the Denial of a God fepa- rates, fhall be iiluftrated by fome Particulars known to me in the fpiritu.?! World : In that World, when any one thinks of another, and defires to fpeak with him, the other immediately is prefent ; this, is com.- mon in the fpiritual World, and never fails ; the Reafon is, becaufe in the fpiritual World there is no Diftance, as in the natural World, but only an Ap- pearance of Diftance. Another Particular is, that as Thought from fome Knowledge of another caufeth his Prefcnce, fo Love from fome Alfeclion for an^ other caufeth Conjunction with him, whereby it tomes to pafs that they go together and converfe in a friendly Manner, and dwell in one Houfe, or in one Society, and often meet, and do mutual good Offices to each other : The Reverfe alfo takes Place, in 502 Angelic Wisdom cqncernino in that he who doth not love another, and more ef- pecially he who hateth another, doth not fee or meet him, and the Diltance between them is in Propor- tion to the Degree in which there is a Want of I.ove, or in which Hatred prevails ; yea, if he is prefent, and then remembers his Hatred, he becometh invif- ible. From thefe Particulars it may appear, what is the Caufe of Prefence, and what the Caufe of Con- jundlion in the fpiritual World, namely, that Prefence proceeds from Remembrance of another with aDe- {ire to fee him, and that Conjundion proceeds from the Aftedion which is of Love. It is the fame with all Things which are in the human Mind ; therein are Things innumerable, and all the Partic- ulars there are confociated or conjoined according to Affeclions, or as one Thing loves another. This Conjunction is fpiritual Conjunction, which is like itfelf both in Things common, and in Things particular : This fpiritual Conjunction deuveb!:s Ori- gin from the Conjunction of the Lord with the Ipir- ituai World, and the natural World, in common and in particular ; from which Confideration it is evident, that in Proportion as any one acknowledg- eth the Lord, and thinketh of him from Knowledg- es, in the fame Proportion the Lord is prefent ; and in Proportion as any one acknowledgeth him from the Affection of Love, in the fame Proportion the Lord is conjoined with him ; and on the contrary, that in Proportion as any one doth not acknowledge the Lord, in the fame Proportion the Lord is ab^ fent, and that in Proportion as any onedeniethhim, in the fame Proportion he is disjoined or feparated from him. Conjunction caufeth the Lord to turn the The Divine Providence. . 503 Face of Man to himfclf, and then to lead him ; and Disjunction caufeth Hell to turn the Face of Man to idelf, and to lead him : Wherefore all the An- gels of Heaven turn their Faces to the Lord as the Sun, and all the Spirits of Hell turn away their Faces from the Lord. Hence it is evident what is the Ef- fect produced by the Acknowledgment of a God, and what by the Denial of a God. And they wh » deny God in the World, deny him after Death, and become organized according to the Defcription above, n. 319; and the Organization induced in the World remains to Eternity. Secondly : That every one acknowledgeth God, and is conjoined with him, according to the Good rf his Life : All who know any Thing of Religion, may know God; they can alfo fpcak of God from Science or the Memory, and fome even think of God from the Underllanding ; but this, unlefs a Man leads a good Life, produces Nothing but Prefence, for he can neverthelefs turn hnnfelf from God, and turn himfelf to Hell, which is the Cafe if he leads a bad Life. But no others can acknowledge God in their Hearts, except thofe who lead a good Life ; thefe, according to the Good'of their Life, the Lord turn- eth away from Hell, and turneth to himfelf; the Reafon is, becaufe thefe alone love God, for they love Divine Things which are from him, by doing them ; the Divine Things which are from God, are the Precepts of his Law ; thefe are God, becaufe He is his own proceeding Divine, and this is to love God; wherefore the Lord faith, " He that doeth my Couimandments, he it is that loveth me ; but he that doeth not my CommandmentSj loveth m^ net," 504 Angelic Wisdom goncernikg hot/' Jolm xiv. 21 to 24. Thisisthfe Reafon why there are two Tables of the Decalogue, one for God, and the other for Man j God continually op- erates, that Man may receive the Things which are in his Table, but if Man doeth not the Things which are in his Table, he doth not receive with AcknowU edgment of Heart the Things which are in God's Table, and if he doth not receive them, he is not conjoined ; wherefore thofe two Tables were joined together, that they might be one, and were called the Tables of the Covenant, and Covenant fignifiei Conjun'5tion. 1 he Reafon why every one acknowl- edgeth God, and is conjoined with him according to the Good of his Life, is, becaufe Good of Life is fimilar to the Good which is in the Lord^ and which therefore is from the Lord ; wherefore Vv^hen Man is in the Good of Life, Conjunction is efi^efted. It is the contrary with Evil of Life j this rejedleth theJLordi Thirdly : That Good 6f Life^ cr to live ivelly is to Jhun Evils becaufe they are contrary id Religion, therefore againfi God : That this is Good of Life, or to live wellj is fully fhewn in The Doc- trine OF Life for the New Jerusalem, from Beginning to End. To which I will only add, that if you do Good in all Abundance, for Example, if you build Churches, adorn and fill them with Dona- tions, lay out M oney in Hofpitals and Charities, give Alms daily, help Widows and Orphans, regularly perform the Ceremonies of Divine Worihip, yea^ if you think, fpeak, and preach Things holy as from the Heart, and yet do not ihun Evils as Sins againft God, all thofe Goods are not Goods, but are either hypocritical or meritorious \ for there is inwardly Evil The Divine Providence. ^o^ Evil in them notwithdanding, inafmuch as the Life of every one is in all and every Thing that he doeth : But Goods are no otherwife made Goods, than by the Removal of Evil from them. Hence it is evi- dent, that to Ihun Evils becaufe they are contrary to Religion, and therefore againft God, is to hve well. Fourthly : That thefe are commm \JE[fen- tials'} of all Religions^ by ivbich every one may beJliVijecL To acknowledge a God, and not to do Evil becaufe it is againft God, are two Things by Virtue of which Religion is Religion ; if one of them is wanting, it cannot be called Religion, for to acknowledge a God and to do Evil, is contradictory, as well as to do Good and not to acknowledge a God^ for one doth not take Place without the other. It is pro- vided by the Lord, that there is fome Religion almofl every where, and that in every Religion there are thefe two Eifentials \ and it is alfo provi- ded by the Lord, that every one who acknowledg- ieth a God, and doth not do Evil becaufe it is againft God, hath a Place in Heaven ; for Heaven in the Complex refembles one Man, whofe Life or Soul the Lord is ; in that celeftial Man there are all Things which are in a natural Man, with fuch a Difference as cxifls between Things celeltial and natural* It is well known, that in a Man there are not only organized Fbrms, confuting of Blood- Vef- ' fels and nervous Fibres, which are called Vifcera, but there are alfo Skins, Membranes, Tendons, Cartilages, Bones, Nails, and Teeth ; thefe have Lif-^ in a lefs Degree than the organized Forms them* felves, to which they ferve as Ligaments, Teguments, and Supports : That celeftial Man, which is Heav- Q o^q en, 5o6 Angelic Wisdom concerning en, in Order that there may be all thefe Parts in him, cannot be compofed of Men of one Religion, but of Men of many Religions ; hence it is, that all t:ho apply to their Lives thofe two Univ^rfals of the Church, have a Place in that ccleflial Man, that is, in Heaven, and there enjoy Felicity, each in his Degree ; but on this Subjed fee more above, n. 254. That thefe two Ellentials are primary in every Religion, may appear from their being the two Effentials which the Decalogue teacheth, and the Decalogue was primary in the Word [ P rimumVerbi^'] and was promulgated from Mount Sinai by Jehovah "uiva voce, and written upon two Tables of Stone by the Finger of God, and then being depofited in the Ark it was called Jehovah, and conflituted the Holy of HoHes in the Tabernacle, and the mofl facred Place in the Temple at Jerufalem, and all Things there derived their Sanctity from it alone ; concerning the Decalogue in the Ark, more may be feen from the Word in The Doctrine of Life FOR THE New Jerusalem, n. 53 to 61 ; to w^hich I will add as follows : It is known from the Word that the Ark, in w^hich were the two Tables, v/here- upon the Decalogue was written, was taken by the Phinftines., and placed in the Temple of Dagon in Afhdod, and that Dagon fell down bcfc^re it to the Earth, and that afterwards his Head and the Palms of his Hands were feparated from his Body, and lay upon the Threlhold of the Temple ; and that the Aihdodites and Ekroniies by Reafon of the Ark were fmitten with Emerods to the Number of fev- eral Taoufands, and that their Country was wafled by Mice : alfo, that the Philillines, bv the Advice of J The Divine Providence. 507 of the Chiefs of their Nation, made five Emerods, and five golden Mice, and a new ^arr, and fet the Ark upon it, and the Emerods and golden Mice befide it, and fent back the Ark by two Kine, which lowed in the Way before the Ark, to the Children of Ifrael, by whom the Kine and the Cart were fac- riiiced ; fee i Sam. Chap. v. and vi. It fliall now be fhewn what all thefe Particulars fignified : The Phiiiilines fignified thofe who are in Faith feparate from Charity j Dagon reprefented their Religion ; the Emcrodv^, whereby they were fmitten, iignified natural Loves, which when feparated from fpiritual Love are unclean ; the Mice fignificd the Devalla- tion of the Church by Falfificaticns of Truth ; the new Cart upon which they fent back the Ark, fig- nified new, but natural Do&ine, for Chariot in the Word fignitles Do£trine grounded in Ipiriruai Truths ; the Kine fignified good natural Aifcclions ; the golden Emerods fignified natural Loves purified and made good ; the golden Mice fignified the Vaftation of the Church removed by Good, for Gold in the Word fignifies Good ; the Lowing of the Kine in the Way, fignified the difficult Conver- fion of the Concupifcences of Evil in the natural Man into good AifeQions ; the offering the Kine with the Cart as a Burnt-Ofiering, fignified that thus Atonement would be made to the Lord. Thefe are the Things which are fpiritually mennt by thofe hifl:oncal Facls ; connect them into one Senfe, and make the Application. That hy the Philiftines are reprefented thofe who are in Faith feparate from Charity, may be feen in The Doc- TPJNE OP THE New Jerusalem concerning Faith, 5o8 Angelic Wisdom concerning Faith, n. 49 to 54. And that the Ark, by Reafon of the Decalogue therein contained, was the moR holy Thing of the Church, fee The Doctrine of Life for the New Jerusalem, n. 53 to 61. 327. III. That it is a Marias own faulty if he in not faved. This Truth is acknowledged by every rational Man as foon as it is heard, viz. that Evil cannot flow from Good, nor Good from Evil, be- caufe they are Oppofites ; confequently, that from Good Nothing but Good can flow, and from Evil Nothing but Evil : When this Truth is acknowl- edged, the following is acknowledged alfo, viz. that Good can be turned into Evil, not by a good but by an evil Recipient, for every Form turneth what is influent into its own Quality, fee above, n. 292* Now forafmuch as the Lord is Good in its very Eflence, or Good itfelf, it is evident that Evil can-* not flow from the Lord, nor be produced by him, but that it can be turned into Evil by a Recipient Subject, whofe Form is a Form of Evil : Such a Subjed is Man with Refpe6l to his Proprium ; this continually receives Good from the Lord, and con- tinually turns it into the C^ality of its Form, which is a Form of Evil : Hence it follows, that it is a Man's own Fault if he is not faved. Evil is indeed from Hell, but forafmuch as he receives it thence as his ov^^n, and thereby appropriates it to himfelf, therefore it makes no Difference whether you fay that Evil is from Man, or that Evil is from Hell* But whence there is an Appropriation of Evil in fuch a Degree that Religion periflieth, fhall be Ihewn in the following Series, i. That every Re- ligion in Prccefs of I'ime decreafelh and is confun> matedo The Divine Providence. 509 mated. 2. That Every Religion decreafeth and is confummated by an Invcrfion of the Image of God in Man. 3. That this exifts from continual Incre* ments of hereditary Evil in fucceflive Generations. 4. That ftill it is provided by the Lord, that every one may be capable of being faved. 5. That it is alfo provided, that a new Church may fucceed in place of the Former vaftated Church. 328. But thefe Proportions are to be demonflra- ted in their Series, First : That every Religion in Prccefs of Time decreafeth and is confummated. Up- on this Earth there have been feveral Churches, one after another, inafmuch as wherefoever the hu- man Race exifts, there a Church exifts ; for Heav- en, which is the End of Creation, confifts of the human Race, as was demonflrated above, and no one can enter into Heaven, unlefs he be in the two Univerfals of the Church, which confifts in acknowl- edging a God, and leading a good Life, as is fhewn above, n. 326 ; hence it follows, that upon this Earth there have been Churches from the moft an- cient Times down to the prefent. Thefe Churches are defcribed in the Word, but not hiftorically, ex- cept only the Ifraelitifh and Jewifh Church, before which neverthelefs there exifted feveral, and thefe are only defcribed in the Word under the Names of Nations and Perfons, and certain Particulars con- cerning them. The moft ancient Church, which was the Firft, is defcribed by Adam and his Wife Eve. The fucceeding Church, which is to be call- ed the Ancient Church, is defcribed by Noah and his three Sons, and by their Pofterity ; this was ex- ^enfive and fpread over many Kingdoms of Afia, which 5IO Angelic Wisdom concerning which were the Land of Canaan on both Sides Jor- dan, Syria, Affyria, and Chaldasa, Mefopotomia, E- gypt, Arabia, Tyre, and Sidon ; among thefe was .the ancient Word, mentioned in The Doctrine of THE New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture, n, loi, 102, 103. That that Church exifled in thefe Kingdoms, is evident from various Particulars which are recorded concerning them in the prophetic Parts of the Word. But that Church was remarkably changed by Eber, from whom the Hebrew Church had its Origin ; in the latter facri- ficial Worfhip was lirft inftituted. From the Hebrew Church fprung the Ifraelitifli and Jevv^ilh Church, eftabliilied with much Solemnity for the Sake of the Word, which was there to be written. Thefe four Churches are meant by the Image feen by Nebu- chadnezzar in a Dream, whofe Head was of pure Gold, the Bread and Arms of Silver, the Belly and Thighs of Brafs, and the Legs and Feet of Iron and Clay, Dan. ii. 32, 33. Neither is any Thing elfe meant by the golden, filver, copper, and iron Ages mentioned by ancient Writers. That the Chriftian Church fucceeded the Jewiih Church, is well known ; and it may be feen from the Word, that all thefe Churches in Procefs of Time decHned, till there v.'as an End of them, which is called the Confumma- tion. The Confummation of the moft ancient Church, which was occafioned by eating of the Ti;ec of Knov^ledge, whereby is fignified the Pride of felf- derived Intelligence, is defcribed by the Deluge. The Confummation of the Ancient Church is de- fcribed by various Devaftations of the Nations treat- ed of, as well in the hiftorical, as in the prophetic Parts I The Divine Providence. 511 Parts of the Word, efpecially by the cafting out of the Nations from the Land of Canaan by the Children of Ifrael. The Confummation of the Ifraehtifli and Jewiih Church is underftood by the Deftruftion of the Temple at Jerufalem, and by the carrying away of the Ifraehtifli People into perpetual Captivity, and of the Jewiih Nation to Babylon ; and ladly by the fecond Deiiru6lion of thQ Temple, and at the fame Time of Jerufalem, and the Difperhon of that Na- tion ; which Confummation is foretold in many Places in the Prophets, and in Daniel, Chap. ix. 24 to 27. But the fucceflive Vaftation of the Chrif- tian Church to its final Period, is defcribed by the Lord in Matthew, Chap. xxiv. in Mark, Chap. xiii. and in Luke, Chap, xxi ; and the Confummation itfelf in the Apocalypfe. Hence it may appear, that the Church in Procefs of Time decreafeth and is confummated ; and that it is the fame with Reli- gion. Secondly : That every Religion decreafeth and is confummated by an Inverfton of the Image of God in Man. It is well known that Man was created in the Image of God according to the Likenefs of God, Genefis i. 26 ; but it fhall be explained what an Im- age of God is, and what a Likenefs of God : God alone is Love and Wifdom ; Man was created that he might be a Receptacle of both ; that his Will might be a Receptacle of Divine Love, and his Un- derftanding a Receptacle of Divine Wifdom. That thefe two Principles from Creation are in Man, and that they make the Man, and that they are alfo form- ed in every one in the Womb, was (hewn above ; Man therefore is an Image of God, in that he is a Recipi- ent of Divine Wifdom, and a Likenefs of God, in that he is a Recipient of Divne Love, 5 wherefore the Recep- tacle 512 Angelic Wisdom eoircERiriNd tacle which is called the Undcrftanding, is an Im- age of God, and the Receptacle which is called the Will, is a Likenefs of God ; therefore fmce Man was created and formed to be a Receptacle, it follows, that he was created and formed, that his Will might receive Love from God, and his Under- ftanding Wifdom from God j which alfo Man re- ceiveth, when he acknowledgeth God, and liveth ac- cording to his Commandments^ but in a greater or lefler Degree, in Proportion as by Religion he know- eth God, and knoweth his Con:ttnandments ; confe- quently in Proportion as he knoweth Truths^ for Truths teach what God is, and how he is to be ac- knowledged ^ as alfo what his Commandments are^ and how Man is to live according to them. The Image of God^ and the Likenefs of God, are not ac- tually deftroyed in Man, but they are feemingly de- flroyed ; for they remain inherent in his two Facul- ties, which are called Liberty and Rationality, which have been abundantly treated of above : They be^ came feemingly deilroyed, when Man made the Re^ ceptacle of the Divine Love, which is his Will, a Receptacle of Self-Love, and the Receptacle of the Divine Wifdom, which is his Undcrftanding, a Re- ceptacle of felf-derived Intelligence ; thereby he in- verted the Image and Likenefs of God, for he turned thofe Receptacles away from God, and turned them to himfelf : Hence it is, that they are clofed above, and opened below, or that they are clofed before, •and opened behind, when neverthelefs by Creation they were open before, and clofed behind ; and when they are thus inverfely opened and clofed, then the Receptacle of Love or the Will receives Influx The Divine Providence. 513 influx from Hell, or from its Proprium, and fo does the Receptacle of Wifdom alfo, or the Under- (tanding. Hence the Worfhip of Men arofe in the Churches, inftead of the Worfhip of God, and Wor- Ihip grounded in Do£lrines of what is falfe, inftead of WorHnp grounded in Do^Srines of Truth, the lat- ter from felf'derived Intelligence, the former from Self-Love; From thefe Confidcrations it is evi- dent, that Religion in Procefs of Time decreafeth and is conrummated by an Inverfion of the Image of God in Man. Thirdly: That this e^ifts from continual Increments of hereditary Eiil in fuccejjiije Generations-. That hereditary Evil is not from Adam and his Wife Eve, in Confequence of their eating of the Tree of Knowledge, but that it is fuc- ceffively derived from Parents, and tranfplanted in- to their Offspring, and fo by continual Increments is augmented from Generation to Generation, was faid and fliewn above. When Evil is thereby ac- cumulated among many, then it fpreads and ex- tends itfelf to others ; for in all Evil there is a Lufl of feducing, which in fome is ardent by Reafon of their Rage againfl what is good, and thence proceeds the Contagion of Evil j when this has invaded the Dignitaries, Rulers, and leading Men in the Church, Religion is perverted, and the Means of Cure, which are Truths, are corrupted by Falfifications ; hence proceed in fuch Cafe the fuccefTjve Vaflatlons of Good, and Defolation of Truth in the Church, un* til the Connjmmaticn is complete. Fourthly : That nsvcrthe/cfs it is provided by the Lord, that eve- ry one viay he capable of being faved* It is provided k*y the Lord that there fnould be a Religion every R R r Vv'hcrc, 514 Angelic Wisdom concePvNing .where, and that in every Religion there fhould be the two Eilentials of Salvation, which confifl: in ac- knowledging a God, and in not doing Evil becaufe It is againil God 5 other Things appertaining to the Underflanding, and thence to the Thought, which are called Matters of Faith, are provided for every one according to his Life, for they are Accefibries to Life ; and if they precede, flill they do not re- ceive Life before. It is alfo provided, that all who have lived well, and acknowledged a God, fhould be inilruv^ed after Death by the Angels, and then they who had been in thcfe tw'o Eflentials of Religion in this World, accept the Truths of the Church, fuch as they are in the Word, and acknowledge the Lord as the God of Heaven and the Church ; and this Dodrinc they receive more rea'dily than thofe Chriftians, who have carried out of the V/orld with them an Idea of the Lord's Humanity feparate from his Divinity. It is moreover provided by the Lord, that all who die in their Infancy, wherefoever they may be born, fhould be faved. There is alfo- given to every Man after Death an Opportunity of amend- ing his Life, if poffible ; all are inflrucled and led of the Lord by Angels, and forafmuch as they then know that they are Hving after Death, and'that there are fuch Places as Heaven and Hell, at firfi: they re- ceive Truths ; but they who have not acknowledg- ed a God, and fhunned Evils as Sins in this World, ill a fhort Time after are difgufted with Truths, and recede ; and they who have acknowledged them with their Mouths, and not in their Hearts, are like the fooiifh Virgins, which had Lam.ps, but no Oil, and fought Oil of others, and moreover went and bought The Divine Providence. 515 bought It, and yet were not admitted to the Mar- riage : Lamps figniij' Truths of Faith, and Oil fig- nilies Good of Charity. Hence it may appear, thai by a Law cf the Divine Providence every one . is capable of being fa^ ed, and that it is a Man's own Fault if he is not faved. Fifthly : That it is aJfo provided that a New Church jhould fucceed in Place of the former vafiated Church, This hath been the Cafe from the mofl ancient Times, viz. that when a former Church was vaflated, a new one fucceeded; after the moft ancient Church the Ancient Church fucceeded ; after the Ancient Church the IfraeUtifii or Jewifli Church ; after that the Chriftian Church ; moreover that after this laft a New Chufch will fucceed, is foretold in the Apocalypfe, which Church is there meant by the New Jerufalcm defcending from Heaven. The Reafon why a New Church is provided by the Lord to fucceed the former vadated Church, may be feen in The Doc trine of thi: New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture, n. 104 to 113, 329. IV. That thus all are prcdtfiined to Hcavcrij and none to llelL That the Lord caPietli none into Hell, but that the Spirit calls himfclf thither, is fhewn in the Work concerning Heavi;n and Hell, publiflied in London, Anno 1758, n. 545 to 550 : This is the Cafe with every wicked and impious perfon after Death ; it is the fame with the Wicked and Lnpious in this World, v/ith this Difiertnce, that in this World they may be reformed, and em- brace and imbibe the Means of Salvation, but none after their Departure out of the World. The Means of Salvation relate to theie two Things, the SI: unning 5i6 Angelic Wisdom concerning Shunning of Evils becaufe. they are contrary to the Divine Laws in the Decalogue^ and the Acknowl- edgment that there is a Go.d : This every one may do, provided he doth not love Evils ; for the Lord floweth continually with Power into the Will, that he may be able to ihun Evils, and with Power into, the Underftanding, that he may be able to think that there is a God ; but yet no Peribn can do the one without doing the other at the fame Time : Thefe two Things are joined together like the two Tables of the Decalogue j whereof one is for the Lord, and the other for Man ; the Lord from his Table illuminates every one, and givetli Power, but in Proportion aa Man doeth the Things which are in his own Table, in the fame Proportion he receiveth Power and Illumination j before this the two appear as if they were laid upon one another and fealed up, but as Man doeth the. Things which are in his Table, they are difclofed and opened. What is the Decalogue at this. Day, but like a Bopk that is fhut, and open only in the Hands of Infants and Children ? Tell any one who is of an advanced Age, you mud not do fuch a Thing, becaufe it is C>ontrary to the Decalogue, and who attends, to you ? But if you fay, do not do fuch a Thing becaufe it is contrary to the Divine Lav;s, this he can attend to, when neyerthelefs the Precepts of the Decalogue are the very eflential Divine, Laws ; An Experiment was made with feveral in the fpiritual Wgrld, who, when the Decalogue or Catechifm was repeated, rejected it with Contempt j the Reafon is. becduie the Decalogue ii% its fecond Table, which is the ■ ' ' Table The Divine Providence. 517 Table of Man, teacheth, that Evils are to be fhun- ned, and he who doth not fliun them, whether from Impiety, or from a rehgious Notion that Works are of no Avail, but only Faith, when the Decalogue or Catechifm is repeated, hears it with fome Con- tempt, as though he heard Mention made of fome Child's Book, which is no longer of any Ufe to him. Thefe Particulars are mentioned in Order that it may be known, that there is not v/anting to any Man a Knowledge of the Means whereby he may be faved, nor the Power of being faved if he will ', from which it follows, that all are predefined or intended for Heaven, and none for Hell. But forafmuch as there prevails among fome a Belief in Predcftination to no Salvation, which is Predeftina- tion to Damnation, and fuch a Belief is hurtful, and cannot be difpelled, unlefs Reafon alfo fees the Madnefs and Cruelty of it, therefore it fliall be treat- ed of in the following Series, i. That any other Predeflination, than Predeflination to Heaven, is contrary to the Divine Love and its Infinity. 2. That any other Predeflination, than Predeflination to Heaven, is contrary to the Divine Wifdom and its Infinity. 3. That it is an infane Herefy, to fup- pofe that they only are faved who are born within the Church. 4. That it is a cruel Herefy, to fup- pofe that any of the human Race are predeftined to be damned. 330. But that it may appear how hurtful a Faith m Predeilination is, as it is commonly undcrflood, thefe four Propofitions fhall be refumed and con- firmed. First : T/mt my other PrcdejVmatian^ than Fredefii nation, to Heaven^ is contrary to the Divine 5i8 Angelic Wisdom concerning Love^ which is infinite. That Jehovah or the Lord is Divine Love^ and that that Divine Love is infinite, and the EJfc of all Life ; and alfo that Man v^as cre- ated in the Image of God according to the Likenefs of God, is demonflrated in the Treatife concerning The Divine Love and ti^e Divine Wisdom : And forafniuch as every Man is formed in the Womb in that Image according to that Likenefs by the Lord, as is alfo demonflrated, it follows, that the Lord is the heavenly Father of all Men, and that Men are his fpiritual Children ; fo alfo is Jeho- vah or the Lord called in the Word, and fo are Men called therein ; wherefore he faith, " Call no Man your Father upon the Earth, for one is your Father which is in Heaven,'' Matt, xxiii. 9 ; where- by it is meant that Lie alone is the Father with Ref- ped to Life, and that an earthly Father is only a Father with Refpei^ to the Covering of Life, which is the Body, wherefore in Heaven no other Father is made Mention of but the Lord : That Men are called his Sons, and faid to be born of him, who do not invert that Life, is alfo evident from many Paffages in the Word. Hence it may appear, that the Divine Love is in every Man, as well the Wick- ed as the Good, confequently that the Lord, who is Divine Love, cannot acl any otherwife with them^ than as a Father upon Earth does with his Children, only with infinitely more Tendernefs, becaufe the Divine Love is infinite ; alfo that he cannot recede from any one, becaufe the Life of every one is from Him : It appears as if he .receded from the Wicl:ed, whereas it is the Wicked themfelves who recede, but ftill he leadeth them out of Love : Wherefore the Lord faith, " Aik, and it Ihall be given you ; feek. The Divine Providence, ^19 ftick, and ye fliall find ; knock, and it fliall be open- ed unto you : What Man is there of you, whom if his Son alk Bread, will he give him a Stone ? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good Gifts unto your Children, how much more fhall your Father which is in Heaven give good Things to them that aili him ?*' Matt. vii. 7 to 1 1 : And in another Place, " That he maketh his Sun to rife on the Evil and on the Good, and fendeth Rain on tke Juft and on the Unjull," Matt. v. 45. More- over it is known in the Church, that the Lord de- fireth the Salvation of all, and not the Death of any. Hence it may be feen, that any other Predeftination than Predeftination to Heaven is contrary to the Divine Love. Secondly : ^hat any other Predef- tination^ than Predejiination to Heaven^ is contrary to the Divine Wifdom^ which is iJifinitc. The Divine Love through its Divine Wifdom provides Means, whereby every Man may be faved ; therefore to fay that there is any other Predeftination than Predefti- nation to Heaven, is to fay that it cannot provide Means, whereby Salvation may be cfTeded, when neverthelefs all are pofftftbd of the Means, as was (hewn above, and thefe are from the Divine Provi- dence, which is infinite. But the Reafon why there are feme who are not faved, is, becaufe the Divine Love defires that Man fliould feel in himfelf the Felicity and Bhfs of Heaven, for otherwife it v/ould be no Heaven to him ; and this cannot be efteded, unlefs it appears to Man that he thinketh' and willeth from himftlf, for without that i\|fpear- ance Nothing would be appropriated to him, neither would he be a Man ; for this Reafon there is a Di- vine 5'2o Angelic Wisdom concerning tine Providence, which is of the Divine Wifdcni from the Divine Love. But this doth not take iiway this Truth, that all are predeftined or defigned for Heaven, and none for Hell ; whereas if Means of Salvation were wanting, it would take it away ; neverthelefs that the Means of Salvation are provid- ed for every one, and that Heaven is of fuch a Na- ture, that all, of whatfoever Religion they be^ who live w^ell, may have a Place there, was fhewn above. Man is like the Earth, which produceth all Kindg of Fruits, by Virtue of which Faculty Earth is Earth, but its producing evil Fruity doth not take away its Power of producing good Fruit alfo j it would take it away, however, if it could only pro- duce evil Fruit* Man is alfo like an Objeftj which variegates the Rays of Light in itfelf ; if it only prefents to the Eye difagreeable Colours^ it Is not the Fault of the Light, for the Rays of Light may alfo be variegated fo as to produce pleafmg Colours; Thirdly : That tofuppofe they only are favcd^ who are born within the Church, is an infane Herefy. They who are born without the Church, are alike Men with thofe who are wiihln it ; they are of a like heavenly Origin, and are equally living and immortal Souls ; moreover they have a Religion, whereby they acknowledge that there is a G6d, and that they ought to live well, and he who acknowl- edgeth a God and liveth well, becometh fpirituai in his Degree, and is faved, as was fliewn above. It is alleged, that they arc not baptized, but Bap- tifm doth dot fave any, except thofe who are fpirit- Tiaily waftied, that is, regenerated, for Baptifm is a Sign and Memorial thereof. It is alleged alfo, that The Divine Providenck. 521 that the Lord is not known to them, and that with- out the Lord there is no Salvation ; however, no one hath Salvation merely by the Lord's being known to him, but by living according to his Pre- cepts ; and he is known to every one who acknowl- edgeth a God, for the Lord is the God of Heavei\ and Earth, as he himfelf teacheth in Matt, xxviii. 18 ; and in other Piaops. Moreover they who are without the Church, have mere an Idea of God as a Man, than the Chriftians ; and they who have an Idea of God as a Mail^ and live well, are accepted by the Loru, for they acknovv'ledge God to be one in Perfon and in ElTence, which ChriiHans do not do ; they alfo think of God in their Life, for they con- fider Evils as Sins againd God, and they who do this, think of God in their Life. Chriflians ha,ve the Precepts of their Religion from the Word, but there are few who draw any Precepts of Life frotn it ; the Papifts do not read it ; and they of the Re- formed Church, who are in Faith feparate from Charity, do not attend to thofe Things in it which relate to Life, but only to what relates to Faith, and yet the whole Word is Nothing elfe but the Doc- trine of Life* Chriitianity prevails only In Europe ; the Religion of the Mahometans and Gentiles in Afia, the Indies, Africa, and America ; and the human Race in the lad mentioned Parts of the World is ten Times more numerous than in the Chriftian Countries, and in the latter there are but few, who place Religion in a good Life : What c-m be greater Madnefs then, than to think that the latter only are faved, and the former condemn- ed, and that Man poiTefTeth Heaven by his Birth, S s s and 522 Angelic Wisdom conc£rniK5 and not by his Life ? Wherefore the Lord faith, *' I fay unto you, that many fliall come from the Eafl and from the Weft, and fhall lie down with Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of Heaven ; but the Children of the Kingdom fhall be caft out,'' Matt. viii. ii, 12. Fourthly : That t9 fuppofe any of the human Race are prcdcftined to he damned^ is a cruel Hcrefy, For it is cruel to think, that the Lord, who is Love itfelf and Mercy itfelf, would fuffer fo vail a Multitude of Men to be born for Hell, or that fo many Myriads of Myriads fhould be born condemned and devoted, that is, born Devils and Satans ; and that he would not -out of his Divine Wifdom provide, that they who live well and acknowledge a God, fliould not be caft into everlafting Fire and Torment ; yet the Lord is the Creator and Saviour of all, and he alone leadeth all, and willeth not the Death of any one ) there- fore it is cruel to think and believe, that fo great a Multitude of Nations and People under his Aufpices and Infpedion fhould be predeilined to be delivered as a Prey to the Devil. Thai TiiE Divine Providence, 523 That the Lord cannot aE agakjl the Laws of the Divine Providence, be^ cavfe to aH againji them, zvoidd he to aH againjl his Divine Love and his Divine Wijdom^ confequently againjl flinifelf. 331. TN The Angelic Wisdom concerning j[_ THE Divine Love and tpie Divine Wisdom, it is fliewn, that the Lord is Divine Love and Divine Wifdom, and that thefe two Principles are the very £//}- and Life, from which every Thing- is and lives ; moreover it is fhewn, that the fame proceedeth from Him, and that this proceeding Divine is Himfelf : Among the Things which pro- ceed from Him, the Divine Providence is primary ; for this is continually iu the End for w^hich the Unlverfe was created : Ihe Operation and Pro- greiTion of the End by its Means is what is called the Divine Providence. Now forafmiich as the proceeding Divine is Himfelf, and the Divine Prov- idence is the primary Thing that proceedeth, it fol- lows, that to a6t againll the Lavi'S of his Divine Providence, is to act againft Himfelf. It may alfo be faid, that ''the Lord is Providence, as it is faid that God is Order ; for the Divine Providence is the Divine Order primarilv refpecling tlie Salvation of Men ^ and as there is no Order without Laws, for Laws conftilute it, and every Law derives this ftom Order, that it alfo is Order, it hence follows, that 524 Angelic Wtspop^ concerning that as God is Order, he is alfo the Law of his own Order : The fame may be faid of the Divine Prov- idence, that as the Lord is his own Providence, he is alfo the Law of his own Providence : Hence It is evident, that the Lord cannot act againft the Laws of his Divine Provid'eiice, becaufe to ad againft them would be to acl againft Himfelf. Now there can be no Operation but upon a SubjeQ, and by Means operating vipon that Subjed : Operation, except upon a jSubjcft, and upon that by certain INIeans, is not poilible ; the Subject of the Divine. Providence is Man ; the Mean$ are Divine Truths whereby he hath Wifdom, and Divine Goods where- by he hath Love ; the Divine Providence by thefe. Means operates its End, which is the Salvation of Man, fov. he who willeth an End, alfo willeth, Means, wherefore when he operates the End, he operates it by Means, But thef$ Particulars will, be made more evident, when they are reviewed in. the following Order. 1. That the Operation of the Divine providence in faving Man begins at his. Birth, and continues to tl;re End of his Life, and afterwards to Eternity. 2. That the Operation of the Divine Providence is continually effected by Means out of pure Mercy. 3. That momentaneous Salvation from immediate Mercy u not poffible. 4. That momentaneous Salvation from immediate. Mercy is the fiery flying Serpent in the Church. 332. L That the Operation of the Divine Provi- dence in faving Man^ begins at his Birth ^ and continues , io the End of his Lfe^ and afterwards to Eternity. I: was ftiewn above, that a Heaven out of the hu- man Race h the very End cr Object of the Creation., of The Divine Providence. ^2^ of the Univerfe, and that that End in its Operation and Progrelfion is the Divine Providence for the Salvation of Men, and that all Things which are without Man, and fcrve for his Ufe, are fecondary Ends of Creation, which in Sum have Relation to all Things that exiil in the three Kingdoms, the Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral ; when thefe Things proceed conftantly according to the Laws of Divine Order eftabHfhed at their firfl Creation, how then can the primary End [Object,] which is the Salva- tion of the human Race, do otherwife than proceed cpnflantly according to the Laws of its Order, which are the Laws of the Divine Providence ? Only obferve a Fruit Tree ; doth it not firfl: fpring from a fmall Seed as a tender Germ, and afterwards grow fucceflively into a Stalk, and fpread forth its Branches, which are then covered with Leaves, anc^ afterwards put forth Flowers, and bear Fruit, where- in it depofits new Seeds, by which it provides for its Perpetuity ? It is the fame with every Shyub and every Herb of the Field : Do not all and fmgular Things t .serein conflantly and wonderfully proceed according to the Laws of their Order from End ta End ? Why then ihould not the primary End, which ia a Heaven out of the human Race, do the fame ? Can any Thing pofiibly take Place in its Progreflion, which doth not moft conftantly proceed according to the Laws of the Divine Providence ? Forafmuch as there is a Correfpondence between the Life of Man and the Vegetation of a Tree, make a Parallel- ifm, or Compaiifon ; the Infancy of Man is com- paratively like the tender Germ of a Tree iprlnging Q}it of the Earth from the Seed j the Childhood and 5^6 Angelic Wisdom concerning and Youth of Man is like thj^t Germ increafing to a Stem and Branches ; natural Truths, which every Man fnd imbibes, are like the Leaves with which its Branches are covered, Leaves having no other Signification in the Word ; Man's Initiation into the Marriage of Good and True, or the fpiritual Marriage, is like the Flowers which that Tree pro- duceth in the Spring Time, fpiritual Truths being the fmall Leaves of thofe Flowers ; the firil Fruits of the fpiritual Marriage are like the Beginnings of the Fruit ; fpiritual Goods, v/hich are the Goods of Charity, are like the Fruit, and are alfo fignified by Fruit in the Word ; the Prpcreations of Wifdon^ from Love, are hke the Seeds, by Means of which Procreations Man becometh like a Garden and a Paradife : Man is alfo defcribed in the Word by a Tree, and his Wifdom from Love by a Garden ; Nothing elfe is fignified by the Garden of Eden, Man indeed is an evil Tree from the Seed, but yet there is provided an Ingrafting or Inoculation of Branches taken from the Tree of Life, by which the Juices drawn from the old Root are c: nverted into Juices producing good Fruit. This Compari- fon is made, in Order that it may be known, that when there is fo conftant a Progreffion of the Diving Providence in the Vegetation and Regeneration (Reprodudion) of Trees, it muit by ail Means be conftant in the Reformation and Regeneration of Men, who are of much more Value than Trees, ac- cording to thefe Words of the Lord, " Are not five Sparrows fold for two Farthings, yet not one of them is forgotten before God ; but even the very Hairs of your Head are all numbered ; fear not^^ « therefore j The Divine Providence. 527 therefore ; yc are of more Value than many Spar- rows. And which of you with taking Thought can add to his Stature one Cubit ; if ye then be not zblc to do that Thing which is lead, why take ye Thought for the reft ; confider the Lilies how they grow : If God fo clothe the Grafs, which is to day in the Field, and to-morrow is call into the Oven, how much more will he clothe you, O ye of hide Faith," Luke xii. 6, 7, 25, 26, 27, 28. 333. It was faid that the Operation of the Di- vine Providence in faving Man begins at his Birth, and continues to the End of his Life ; that this may be underllood, it i^ to be noted, that the Lord feeth what Man is, and forefeeth what he deiireth to be, •confequently what he will be ; and in Order that he may be a Man, and thereby immortal, the Free- dom of his Will cannot be taken away, as hath been abundantly fhewn above, wherefore the Lord forefeeth his State after Death, and provides for it from his Birth to the End of his Life 5 with the Wicked he provides by permitting and continually withdrawing them from Evils, but with the Good he provides by leading them to Good ; thus the Di- vine Providence is continually in the Operation of faving Man 5 but more cannot be faved than defire to be faved, and they defire to be faved, who ac- knowledge God, and are led by him ; and they do not defire to be faved, who do not acknowledge God, but lead or guide themfelves ; for the latter do' not think of eternal Life, and Salvation, where- as the former do : This the Lord feeth, but ftill leadeth them, and leadeth them according to the Laws of his Divine Providence, againft which he cannot 528 Angelic Wisi^oM concsrking cannot a6l, becaufe to adt againfl: them, would be t^ ai5l aga'uift his Divine Love and againil his Divine Wifdorn, which is to act againfi himfelf. Now forarmuch as he forefeeth the State of all after Death, and alfo forefeeth the Places of thofe, who are Hot willing to be faved, in Hell, and the Places of thofe, who arc willing to be faved, in Heaven, it follows, that, as was fald, he provideth for the Wick- ed their Places by permitting and withdrawing, and Places for the Good by leading them ; which, un- lefs it were done continually from the Birth of eve-.^ ry one to his Life's End, neither Heaven nor Hell could fubfift ; for without fuch Forefight, and Prov- idence at the fame Time, both Heaven and Hell would be Nothing but Confufion : That every one Jiath his Place provided for him by Means of the Lord's Foreknowledge, may be feen above, n. 202, 20^* This may be illuftrated by the following Com- parifon ; if an Archer or Alarkfman were to flioot at a Mark, and a Line were drawn from the Mark to the Didance of a Mile beyond it ; if in fnOoting, the Arrow or Ball were to mifs the Mark only a Nail's Breadth, at the End of the Mile it w^culd di- verge immenfely from the Line drawn beyond the Mark ; fo it would be, if the Lord did not every Moment, yea every the mod minute Point of Time, refpecl Eternity in forefeeing and providing every one his Place after Death ; but tliis is done by the Lord, becaufe all the Future is piefent to him, and all the Prefent is to him eternal. That the Divine Providence, in all it doeth, hath Refpeftjo Infinity and Eternity, may be feen above, n. 46 to Gg^ 214, and the fubfec^uent Numbers. 334- It The Divine i^ROviDENCE. 529 334. It was laid that the Operation of the Divine j?rovidencc continues to Eternity, becaufe every Angel is perfected in Wifdom to Eternity ; but ev- ery one according to the Degree of AfieQion for Goodnefs and Truth, in which h^ was when he de- parted out of the WorlJ ^ it is this Degree which is perfecled to Eternity ; what is beyond this Degree, is without the Angel, and not within him, and that which is without him, cannot be perfecjled within him : This is meant by the good Meafure, prefTed down, fliaken, and running over, which fhall be given into the Bofom of thofe, who give and forgive others, Luke vii. 2)1 -i 3^ \ that is, who are in the Good of Charity. 'i^'XfS* •^^' ^''^^^ ^^^^ OperaiiGTi of the Dhvine Proisi- dence is continualhj effected by Means out of pure Mer- cy, There are Means and Modes of the 'Divine Providence ; Means are all thofe Things, by Virtue whereof Man is made Man, and perfecled with Re- fped to his Underdanding and his Will j Modes are thofe Things whereby fuch Means arc efFeded. The Means, by Virtue whereof Man is made Man, and perfected with Refped to his Underdanding, are included under the general Term or Apellation of Truths, which become Ideas in the Thought, and are called Things in the Memory, and in themfelvcf; are Knowledges, from whi^h Sciences are derived. All thefe Means confidered in ti;icmfelves are fpir- itual ; but whereas they exifl in Things natural, from their Clothing or Covering they appear as natural Things, and fome as material. Thefe Meens are infinite in Number, and infinite in Varie- ty j they are n:cre or lefs iimple and compound, T T t and 530 Angelic Wisdom concerkiNO and more or lefs perfect or imperfecl:. There are Means for forming and perfeding civil natural Life-, alfo for forming and perfefting moral rational Life ; and likewife for forming and perfefting fpiritual ce- leftial Life. Thefe Means fucceed, one Kind after another, from Infancy to the latefl Age of Man, and after that to Eternity ; and as they fucceed by increafmg, thofe which were prior become Means o^' thofe which are pollcrior, inafmuch as they enter into every 1 hing that hath a Form as mediate Can- fes, for from thefe every Effect or every Conclufion is efiicient, and thence becomes a Ciiufe 5 thus Pof- teriors fuccefiiveiy become Means or Mediates : And whereas this goes on to Eternity, there is no Poftreme or Ultimate that clofes the whole ; for as Eternity is without End, ^o Wifdom, which increaf- eth to Eternity, is without End : If there were any End to Wifdom in a wife Man, the Delight of his Wifdom, which confids in its perpetual Multiplica- tion and Fructification, would perilh, and in Place of it would fucceed the Delight of Glory^ in which alone there is no celellial Life ; in fuch Cafe a Man no longer becomes wife like a young Man, but like an old Man, and at length like a decrepid Man. Although the Wifdom of a wife Man in Heaven increafes to Eternity, yet there is no fuch Approx- imation of Angelic Wifdom to the Divine Wifdom as to reach it ; it is comparatively like what is faid of a right Line drawn about an Hyperbola, contin- ually approaching, but never touching it ; and like ■what is faid of fquaring the Circle. Hence it may appear, what is meant by Means, by which the Di- vine Providence operates, that Man may be Man, and The Divine Providence. r^a and be perfe6led in Regard to his Underflanding, and that theie Means are included under the gene- ral Appellation cf Truths. There are alfo a hke Number of Means, whereby Man is formed and perffccled in Regard to his Will, but thefe are com- prehended under the general Appellation of Goods ; from the latter Man derives Love^ from the former Wifdom: The Conjundion of them makes the Man, for fuch as the Conjundion is, fuch is the Man : It is this Conjundion which is called the Marriage of Goo.dnefs and Truth. 336. B.ut the Modes, by which the Divine Provi- dence operates upon Means, and by Means in form- ing Man, and perfeding him, are alfo infinite in Number;, and infinite in Variety ; in Number they are as many as there are Operations of the Divine Wifdom fi-om the Divine Love for the Salvation of Man, confequently as many as there are Operations of the Divine Providence according to its Laws, ^boye treated of. That thefe Modes are of a very hidden Nature, was ilkidrated above by the Opera- tions of the Soul upon the Body, concerning which Man knoweth fo little, that it can fcarcely be calU ed any Thing ; as hov/ the Eye, the Ear, the Nofe, the Tongue, and the Skin feel, and how the Stom- ach digeds, the Mefentery prepares the Chyle, the Liver elaborates the Blood, the Pancreas and Spleen purify it, the Kidneyr. feparate impure Humors from it, the Heart coUeds and diflrlbutcs it, the Lungs decant it, and libw the Brain fublimates the Blood and vivifies It ;^new, befidcs innumerable other things, all which are Arcana, which fcarce any Science can enter into. Ilcnce it is evident, that (till S2^ Angelic Wisdom concerning Hill lefs can the fecrct Operations of the Divine Providence be entered into j it is fufficient that the Laws of it be known. 337. The Reafon why the Divine Providence op-. erates all I'hings out of pure Mercy, is, becaufe the Divine EfTence itfelf is pure Love, and it is that which operates by the Divine Wifdom, and that Operation is what is called the Divine Providence. The Reafon why that pure Love is pure Mercy, is, I. Becaufe it operates with all who are in the whole World, who are fuch, that they can do Nothing from themfelves. 2. 1 hat it operates with the E- vil and Unjufl, as well as. with the Good and Jul!:. 3. That it leadeth the former in Hell, and fnatcheth them 'here his reigning Love is, for there the Delight cf his Life is, and every one defires to be In the Delight of his Life, and the Spirit of a Man cannot be any where elfe, becaufe that conftitutejs the Life of him, yea, his very Refpiration, as alfo the Pulfation of his Heart : It is otherwife in the natur- al World, where the External of Man is taught from his Infancy to feign in his Countenance, Speech, and Gefture, Delights different from thofe of his Internal ; wherefore from the State of a Man in the natural World, a Conclufion cannot be formed concerning his State after Death, for the State of every one after Death is fpiritual, which is fuch, that he cannot be any where elfe but in the Delight of his Love, which he acquired to himfelf by his Life in the natural World. Hence it may appear manifeilly, that no one can be let into the Delight of Heaven, which in general is called heav- enly Joy, who is in the Delight of Hell, or, what amounts to the fame, he cannot be let into the De- light of Good, who is already in the Delight of E- vil ; which may be Hill more clearly concluded from ^36 Angelic Wisdom concerning from this Circumftance, that the Liberty of afcend^ ing into Heaven is not refufed any one after Death, the Way is fliewn him, Leave is given, and he is in-. troduced ; but when he comes into Heaven, and by breathing draws in the Delight thereof, if he be ia Evil, he begins to feel Anguifli in his Bread:, and to be tormented at Heart, and to experience a Swoon, in which he writhes himfelf nke a Snake placed be- fore the Fire, and with his Face averted from Hea- ven and turned toward Helijcfcapes headlong, neith- er can he reil but in a Society of his own prevailing Love : Hence it may appear, that to go to Heaven is not given to any one from immediate Mercy, confequently that it does not confifi: merely in Ad- miffion, as many in this* World imagine j alfo that neither is Salvation m.pmentaneous, for this fuppo- fes immediate Mercy. There were feme, who ia the World believed in momentaneous Salvation from immediate. Mercy, and when they became Spirits, were defn'ous that their infernal Delight, or Delight of Evil, by Means of the Divine Om- nipotence and the Divine M^ercy together, mig^ht be changed into heavenly Delight, or Delight of Good ; and forafmuch as this was tlieir Defire, it was alfo permitted that it ihould be done by Angels, w ho inftantly removed their infernal Delight ; but then, by Reafon that it w^as the Delight of their Life, confequently their Life irfilf, tiiey lay as if they were dead, deprived of all Senfe and Motion, nor was it polTible to infufe into them any other Life but their own, becaufe all Things of their Minds and Bodies were in a State of Retroverfion, and could not be contraarywiie retorted or wrelfed ; wherefore TtiS Divine Providencie. 537 wherefore they were revived by the IntromlfTion of the Delight of their Life's Love ; afterwards they faid, that in that State they felt interiorly Something direful and horrible, which they would not make known ; wherefore it is faid in Heaven, that it js eafier to convert an Owl into a Dove, or a Serpent into a Lamb, than an infernal Spirit into an Angel of Heaven. Thirdly: Thiit the Doffr'mes ofth^ Churches in ilye Chrlflian Worlds interiorly confidered^ tire contrary to momeyitamous Salvation from immediate Mercy ^ hut yet that it is efiab/i/Jjed by Mc?i of the exter- nal Church. The Do6lrines of all Churches, view- ed interiorly, teach Life ; where is there any Church whofe DoQrine doth not teach, that Man ought to examine himfelf ; to fee and acknowledge his Sins ; to confefs them, repent, and then lead a new Life ? Who is admitted to the holy Communion without this Admonition and Command ? Inquire, and yoU will be confirmed* What Church is there, whofe Dodrine is not founded upon the Precepts of the Decalogue? and the Precepts of the Decalogue are iPrecepts of Life. What Man is there of the Church, in v;hom there Is any Thing of the Churchy who doth not acknowledge, as foon as he hears it, that he is faved who lives well, and he is condemned •who lives wickedly ? Thei*efore in the Athanafian Creed, which is alfo the Dodrine received in the Whole Chriftian World, it is faid, " That the Lord will come to judge the Quick arid the Dead, and then they who have done Good, will enter into Life everlafting, and they who have done Evil, into ev- erlafling Fire." From which it is evident, that the I)odrincs of all Churches, viewed interiorly, teach U u VI Life, 538 Angelic Wisdom coNCERi^iNG Life, and forafmuch as they teach Life, they teach that Salvation is according to Life ; and the Life of Man is not infpired in a Moment, but formed fuc- ceflively, and reformed as Man fhunneth Evils as Sins ; confequently as he knoweth what Sin is, and fees and ackno-^vledges it, and as he doth not will it, and therefore defifteth from it ; and as he alfo know- eth the Means, which relate to the Knowledge of God ; by thefe, which cannot be infufed in a Mo- ment, the Life of Man is formed and reformed ; for hereditary Evil is to be removed, which in itfelf is infernal, and in Place of it. Good, which in itfelf is cdeftial, is to be implanted : Man, from his heredit- ary Evil, may be compared to an Owl as to Under- fcanding,* and to a Serpent as to Will 5 and a reform- ed Man may be compared to a Dove as to Under- flanding, and to a Lamb as to Will ; who doth not fee, that knoweth any Thing of the Life of Man, that this cannot be eifeded, except the Nature of the Owl and Serpent be taken away, and the Nature of the Dove and Lamb be implanted ? Moreover it is well known, ^hat every intelligent Man may be- come more intelligent, and every wife Man more wife, and that Intelligence and Wifdom in Man may increafe, and in fome do increafe^ from Infancy to their Life's End, and that thus Man is continually perfected. Why iliould not this be more eminently the Cafe with fpiritual Intelligence and Wifdom, ^ which afcends by two Degrees above natural In-- telligence and Wifdom ? and when it afcends, it becomes Angelic, which is unutterable ; that this in Angels increafes to Eternity, was faid above : Who may not comprehend, if he will, that what h The Divine Providence. 539 Ji perfected to Eternity, cannot pollibly be perfed \n an luftant ? 330. Hence then it is evident, that all who think from t«ife concerning Salvation, do not think of any momentaneous Salvation from immediate Mercy, t)ut of the Means of Salvation, on which and by which the Lord operates according to the Laws of his Divine Providence, therefore by which Man is led out of pure Mercy by the Lord. But they who do not think from. Life concerning Salvation, imag-» ine there is Something momentaneous in Salvation, and Something immediate in Mercy ; as they do alfo, who feparate Faith from Charity ; Charity is Life, and they fuppofe there is Something momentaneous in Faith, at the Hour of Death, if not before ; they al- fo do the fame, who believe RemifTion of Sins with-^ out Repentance to bp Abfolution from. Sins, and con^ fequently Salvation, and who with this Idea receive the Lord's Supper ; likewife they, who have Faith in the Indulgences of Monks ; and in their Prayers for the Dead ;- and in their Difpenfa^tions grounded in the Pov/er they claim over the Souls, of Men. 340. IV. T/jat ■momentaneous Salvation from imme- diate Mercy is the fiery fiying Serpent in the Church : By a fiery flying Serpent is meant f.vil fiiining from infernal Fire, the fame as is meant by the fiery flying Serpent in Ifaiah, '* Rejoice not thou whole Palel- tina, becaufe the Rod of him that fmote thee is broken ; for out of the Serpent's Root fiiall come forth a Cockatrice, and his Fruit fliall be a fiery flying Serpent," xiv. 29. Such an Evil flieth in l;he Church, when there is Faith in momentaneous S?4vation from immediate Mercy j for thereby, i. Religion 54^ Angelic Wisdom concerning Religion is aboliflied. 2. Security is induced. 3^ Damnation is imputed to the Lord. As to what con- cerns the First, That thereby PMi^ion h abolified ; there are two Ellentiais, and at the fame Time Uni- verfals of Religion, an Acknowledgment of a Godj and Repentance ; thefe two EiTentials are ufelefs tQ thofe, who think to be faved barely from Mercy, \vithout Regard to their Lives ; for what Need have they of any Thing more, than to fay, God have Mercy upon me ? As to every Thing elfe ap- pertaining to Religion, they are in the Dark, yea they love Darknefs : Of the firil ElTential of the Church, which is an Acknowledgment of God, they only think^ What is God \ who ever faw him \ If it is aflirmed that there is a God, and that he is One, they alfent that he is One ; if it is aifirmed that there are Three, they alfo fay that there are Three, but that thefe Three are to be called One 2 This is their Acknowledgment of God. Of the other ElTential of the Church, which is Repentance^ they think Nothing at all, confequently neither any Thing of Sin, and at length do not know that there is fuch a Thing as Sin ; and then they hear and imbibe with Pleafure, that the Lav/ doth not con- demn, becaufe a Chriftian is not under its Yoke ; if you only fay, God have Mercy upon me for thy Son's Sake, you will be faved ; this is Repentance of Life with them. But remove Repentance, or> what amounts to the fame, feparate Life from Re- ligion, and what remains but the Words, Have Mercy upon me ? Hence it is, that they could not conceive otherwife, but that Salvation is effeifted in ^ MpHient by means of thofe Words, if not before^^ The Divine Providence. 54^ yet at the Hour of Death : In fuch Cafe, what is the Word to them, but like an obfcure and enig- matical Voice, uttered from a Tripod in a Cave ? or like an unintelligible Refponfe from the Oracle of an Idol ? in a Word, if you remove Repentance, that is, feparate Life from Religion, what elfe is Man, in this Cafe, but Evil finning from infernal Fire, or a fiery flying Serpent in the Church ? for without Repentance Man is in Evil, and Evil is Hell, Secondly : That by Faith in momenlaneom SahaticHy from pure Mercy alone^ Security of Life is- inducedr Security of Life arifes either from the Belief of the Impious that there is no Life after Death, or from the Belief of thofe who feparate Life from Salvation ; a Perfon of the latter Defcrip- tion, although he were to believe in eternal Life^ ftill thinks, whether I live well, or live ill, 1 can be faved, becaufe Salvation is pure Mercy, and the Mercy of God is univerfal, inafmuch as he willeth not the Death of any one ; and if haply a Thought occurs that Mercy is to be implored by a Form of Words agreeable to the commonly received Faith, he may think that this, if not before, can be done ^t the Hour of Death ; every Man, who is in fuch a State of Security, makes Ught of Adulteries,. Frauds, Injuflice, Violence, Blafphemies, and Re- venge ; and gives a loofe to his Flefh and his Spirit in the committing of all thefe Evils ; neither doth he know what fpiritual Evil is, and its Concupifcen- ces ; if he hears any Thing thereof out of the Word, it is comparatively like Somewhat falling upon Eb- ony and rebounding, or like Somewhat which falls into a Ditcha and is Iwallowxd up. Thirdly : That h 54^ Angelic Wisdom concerning by fuch a Faith Da?jwation is imputed to the Lordi^ Who but muft conclucje that it is. not the Fault oi Man, but of the Lord, if he is not faved, when every one can be faved frorji pure Mercy ? If it be affirmed that Faith is the Means of Salvation, he \yill urge^ What Man is there to whom fuch Faith may not be given, inafmuch as it only confifts in Thought, which can be infufed in every State of the Spirit abflraded from worldly Things, even with Confir dence ? And he may further urge, I cannot take it of myfelf ; if therefore it is not given, and Man i^ damned, what elfe can, the Damned tl)ink, than that it is the Lord's Fault, who could fave him, and would not ? Apd would not this be to call the Lord unmerciful ? Moreover in the Warmth of his Faith he may afk. Why can the Lord fee fo many Damn- ed in Hell, when neverthelefs he is able to fave all in a Moment from a Principle of pure Mercy ? Not to mention other Suggeftions of ^ Hke Nature, which can be called Nothing elfe but impious Impeach- ments of the Divinity. Hence then it may appear^ that Faith in momentaneous Salvation from purq Mercy, is the fiery flying Serpent in the Church, EXCUSE my adding this Rehtion to fill up the. fuperfluous Paper : Certain Spirits by PermifTiou afcended from Hell, and faid to me. Thou haft written much from the Lord, write Something alfo from us : I anfv/ered, What Ihall I write ? They faid. Write, that every Spirit, whether he be good or evil, is in hi^ own Delight, the good in the De^ The Divine Providence. 54J light of his Good, and the evil in the Delight of hh Kvil. I afked them. What may your Delight be ? They faid, that it was the Delight of commuting Adultery, ftealing, defrauding, and lying : Again 1 aiked. What is the Nature of thofe Delights ? They replied, they were perceived by others as Stenches from Excrement, putrid Smells from dead Bodies^ and the Effluvia of flagnated Urine : I faid. Are thofe Things delightful to you ? They replied, Moft delightful : I faid. Then you are. like the unclenil Beafts which live in fuch Filth : They anfwered. If we arcj, we are j but fuch Things are the Delights of our Noflrils. I aiked, What more fhall I write from you ? They faid^ Write this, that it is permit- ted every one to be in his own Delight, even the mofl unclean, as it is called, provided he does not. infell good Spirits and Angels 5 but forafmuch as We could not do otherwife than infeil them, we were driven out, and cafl into Hell, where we expe- rience direful Sufferings : 1 afked. Why did you mfeft the Good ? They replied, that they could not do otherwife 5 it is as if a certain Fury invaded us, when we fee any Angel, and feei the Divine Sphere about him : I faid. Then yoU are even like wild Beads : On hearing this. Rage came upon them, which appeared like the Fire of Hatred ; and to prevent their doing any Mifchief, they were remand- ed to Hell. Concerning Delights perceived as Odours and Stenches in the fpiritual World, fee. above, n. 303, 304, 305, 324. FINIS- 'ii-i